Operation: RLH (Run Like Hell)
by Ghostwriter Redux
Summary: When Alma thought of hell, fire and brimstone came to mind, not the backwoods of Spain. However, when her charge is kidnapped she discovers firsthand what 'hell' is truly like. Forced to team up with another US Special Agent the pair race against time to save the First Daughter and destroy Las Plagas, all the while ignoring the feelings they find they have for one another. Leon/OC.
1. One

A/N: Seemed like a good idea at the time. That's all I have to say about this. It's something I've been working on since, mm, I'd have to say 2012? I can't remember. Sorry if it sucks xD. I wanted to branch out into a new fandom. Warning for violence and language.

* * *

Disclaimer: The 'Resident Evil' franchise is owned by Capcom. I only own my OC's and make no profit from this.

* * *

"Ashley are you ready?"

"Just hold on Alma, jeez. I'm almost done," the younger woman whined, continuing to pack the rest of her belongings.

"We were supposed to be at the airport by now," Alma sighed, leaning on the doorway to their dorm. "You'll only be on holiday for two weeks. Surely you don't need your entire wardrobe?"

"I can't decide what I want to bring," Ashley replied, picking up a sweater and examining it for a moment before throwing it back in her closet. "What's the weather supposed to be like in Punta Cana?"

"If I had to guess I'd say warm," Alma swiftly ducked her head to avoid the stuffed bear Ashley had launched at it, catching it with ease.

"You don't have to be such a smartass, Alma-llama," Ashley muttered, giving her a sour look though Alma smiled at the usage of her nickname.

"You love me for it," Alma replied, setting the bear back on the bed before taking a seat at the desk beneath the window. "But really, I've already notified the other agents we're running behind schedule. Any longer and Morris will come looking for us."

"I hate Morris," Ashley frowned, looking at the t-shirt she was holding. "He's creepy."

"He's a decorated war hero Ashley," Alma snorted lightly in disbelief. "He's not 'creepy'."

"He's always staring at me."

"It's kind of his job sweetheart. He's supposed to keep an eye on you and if you don't want to see him then I suggest you hurry your perky little butt up," Alma stated, pulling on a long-sleeve button down shirt over her camisole. She left it untucked, draping it over the top of her jeans to conceal the 9mm Picador holstered on her right hip.

"Okay, okay. I'm done. I can always buy more clothes if I need them," Ashley announced, resting her hands on her hips with a sigh as though sorting through her wardrobe was the most arduous task she'd ever completed.

"Get your jacket on and I'll notify Morris we're leaving." Ashley held her hands up in mock-surrender before tying her sweater around her neck and letting it drape fashionably over her shoulders.

"You're the boss, Ally. I'm going to use the bathroom real quick."

"Okay. I'll take our stuff downstairs to the car."

"Mmkay."

* * *

"This is Agent Nguyen. Miss Graham and myself are en route to Logan International. We expect to arrive at approximately 2245 hours."

"10-4. We'll see you then."

"Copy." She flipped the cellphone closed, setting it in the center console before turning the radio back up a bit. She cast a sideways glance at her roommate who was busy texting away. Alma wasn't particularly fond of Ashley Graham when she was first assigned as the girl's personal bodyguard, thinking she was spoiled and ill mannered. In reality, Ashley Graham was like every other 20-something college student.

She just happened to be the President's Daughter.

"What are we listening to?" Alma glanced over at her passenger in confusion.

"Collective Soul."

"Who?"

"You don't know who Collective Soul is?" Alma sighed in exasperation.

"Nope. Sounds like something from my dad's generation," Ashley replied, picking at her nails before looking up at her. "I was just wondering. This song is catchy. What's it called?"

"It's called 'December' and it's one of my favorite songs."

"You listen to a lot of old music."

"I'm barely three years older than you," the agent grumbled, merging onto Highway 769. "And this came out, like, ten years ago, thank you very much."

"I'm not saying you're old. I'm just saying you have old tastes."

"Whatever."

"Don't be catty Alma. It's unattractive."

"I'm not being catty!" she sputtered in disbelief, glaring at her passenger.

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not!"

"And now you're raising your voice."

"Oh my god child, I swear-." Alma trailed off, seeing a pair of headlights suddenly appear in the rearview mirror. She furrowed her brow, reaching for her phone and placing it in her lap. There were a few reasons she had taken Highway 769, the most prevalent being that no one drove it at night. It wasn't nicknamed 'Slaughter Alley' by the locals for nothing, accounting for approximately 20-30 deaths annually.

With more hairpins than Helena Bonham Carter the road from above looked like some child had scribbled out a pattern across the mountain. It climbed about two kilometers high and the only defense you had from going over the side was a low concrete barrier. Alma wasn't worried though, one of the reasons she had been assigned as Ashley's bodyguard was due to her talent at precision driving, among other things.

What did worry her, however, was the fact there was a vehicle behind them at ten o'clock at night. She had no reason to be paranoid and had she been alone she wouldn't have thought anything of it but the chances of someone just so happening to drive 769 the night she was escorting the President's Daughter was setting off warning bells.

"What's wrong Alma?" She looked over at her charge, seeing Ashley worry her lower lip between her teeth. "You got really quiet."

"I think we're being followed," Alma said quietly, flipping her phone open and pressing '2' to speed dial her superior.

"Are you serious!? Oh my god-."

"Hey, it's okay. You know I'm not going to let anything happen to you, right?" Alma said, raising the phone to her ear and giving Ashley a reassuring smile. "Better to be safe than sorry."

The brunette agent proceeded to ignore the sound of the First Daughter hyperventilating in the passenger seat, stifling a curse when the call went straight to voice mail.

"What do we do Alma!?"

"Not panic for starters," she replied, tossing the phone into the console and placing both hands on the steering wheel. She had little maneuverability on the narrow road but she was confident enough in her abilities to keep both herself and Ashley safe. As soon as she glanced in the rearview mirror the vehicle behind them shut their lights off, throwing the road into almost complete darkness.

"Shit," she murmured before hearing a loud bang followed by the sound of air leaving a tire. The steering wheel jerked to the right as Alma struggled to get the car under her control. She heard Ashley screaming when the car fishtailed violently before eventually slowing to a stop on the right side of the road.

Alma's heart was hammering in her chest as she threw the car in park, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Are you okay Ashley?"

"Y-y-yes," she stammered breathlessly, hanging onto the 'oh shit' handle over the door for dear life. Alma tried calling her superior once more but no one answered. Five minutes went by before Alma exited the vehicle, flashlight in tow. She didn't see nor hear any vehicles approaching and cautiously walked around to the front passenger side, resting a hand over her hip holster.

"Fuck," she swore under her breath, crouching by the tire. She ran her palm over it carefully, seeing spikes embedded in what was left of the rubber.

"What do we do Alma?"

"I have to change the tire. The other three are fine but this one is shredded. Hopefully it's still drivable. Roll the window back up Ash and keep trying to get ahold of Morris. It's a GPS phone so it should work regardless of where we are."

"Okay," she replied nervously, doing as she was told. Alma stood, brushing her hands off on her jeans and turned her attention to the road. She could see black skid marks on the pavement from where they had slid and followed them back a few hundred feet.

"Oh fuck me," Alma swore once more, seeing what was left of a military-grade spike strip lying on the ground. Alma raced back to the car; they had to get out of there as quickly as possible. She popped the trunk, reaching beyond the spare tire to grab the tactical shotgun nestled behind her suitcase, flipping the safety off.

She heard the vehicle long before she saw it.

Alma's head snapped up and she threw herself into a roll, narrowly avoiding being crushed between the two vehicles. The screech of metal on metal was ear splitting as the opposing SUV slammed into the back of their car, sending it sliding dangerously towards the edge of the canyon. She heard their car slam into the barrier, metal scraping against concrete for several seconds before the SUV came to a stop.

The agent leapt to her feet and instinctively adopted a tactical shooting stance, bracing the shotgun tightly against her right shoulder. She quickly made her way towards the SUV. Alma's eyes narrowed dangerously, unable to hear anything over the sound of their car's alarm going off.

It was pure luck she happened to catch a glimpse of metal out the corner of her eye, a small blue object coming to rest at her feet. Alma launched herself backwards, clenching her eyes shut though it did nothing to abate the effects of the flash bang.

The world spun around her in a vortex of white and gray, her ears ringing painfully and stomach turning violently. Struggling to her feet Alma shook her head weakly, eyes watering though she raised the shotgun once more.

"Tenacious little thing, aren't you?" She heard a male's voice to her left. She spun, aiming in his direction though the shotgun was abruptly torn from her hands, wrenching her fingers back with a loud pop. "However, I like my women a bit more…obedient." Her vision had cleared just enough for her to make out the visage of the man in front of her.

He was tall and broad shouldered, wearing what looked like a military-esque beret. A grunt of pain escaped her lips when his fist connected with her abdomen, knocking the wind out of her for a moment. Her hand went for the Picador holstered on her hip before feeling him grab her wrist, spinning her to the side as he planted a boot firmly against her lower back and launched her forwards.

Alma cried out when her head hit the side of the concrete barrier. She could feel blood crawling down the side of her face as her vision went fuzzy. She could practically feel the goose egg beginning to form as she rolled onto her side only to receive a vicious boot to her ribcage.

"Alma! Alma, help me!" She heard Ashley cry out for her but couldn't muster the strength to get back on her feet. Easing her eyes open she saw Ashley be hauled bodily into the back of the SUV by their attacker.

"Ash-," she managed to gasp out, clutching her injured side. "No-." The man turned his attention to her for a moment before climbing into the driver's seat of the SUV. Alma was forced to watch helplessly as the taillights faded into the distance.

She struggled to get to her feet, holding a hand to her throbbing forehead. She had to let Morris know what happened. She had to rescue Ashley from that man. Alma limped to the car, wincing with every step she took. There had been no threats made against the First Family since Thomas Graham took office, which was why Alma had been traveling solo instead of with another agent. She cursed their negligence and made a vow to get her friend back no matter the cost.

She was a little more than ten feet from the car before an explosion rocked the ground beneath her, blasting both her and the vehicle off the road. She felt herself go airborne, body sailing over the road barrier and down the slope of the canyon.

Alma tumbled down, head over heels over head. She reached out, scrambling for something to grab. Something hard hit the side of her face and scraped her skin. She cried out, clawing the dirt to try to slow her descent. She caught a glimpse of earth, then sky, earth, sky, earth, sky-oh good fucking god just how long was this rise because she seemed to have been falling down it for the past year-

The bottom of her stomach dropped out when she finally ran out of hill, breath lodged in her throat and she fell down, down, down to the riverbed beneath her.

There was no time to react, let alone scream.

Her head hit last with a meaty crack. The pain was nearly unbearable, bone crushing and nauseating. The sharp shards of thousands of needles were forced through her as her body compacted itself onto the ground.

Everything went black and Alma waited to die…

* * *

This is my first little foray into the RE universe. I've seen many RE4 fanfictions but none that I really took a liking to as they all seemed the same so this is my attempt at making something a bit more original though I'm sure it will just be another retelling of the game *sigh*. I'll do my best though. Sorry for any grammar errors as it is 3:30 in the morning where I live. Feel free to let me know what you think. Cheers.


	2. Two

Disclaimer: CAPCOM owns Resident Evil. I own my OC. Savvy?

* * *

" _Can I ask you something mom?"_

" _Sure sweetheart."_

" _How did you meet dad?"_

" _Hm? Oh, it was a funny story, you see," her mother smiled softly, placing her knitting down in her lap for a moment and looking over at her daughter sitting by the fireplace. "He was the first man to ever best me in hand to hand combat when he joined the Unit."_

 _Alma snorted in a very unladylike manner, rolling her eyes as she lifted her cup of cocoa to her lips. "Yeah, that sounds quite romantic."_

" _You'll understand when you're older, dear."_

" _I doubt it."_

* * *

To say that Alma awoke with the feeling that something wasn't quite right was a gross understatement. A pitiful groan forced its way from her cracked and dry lips when she finally came to.

She was lying on her back though rather than resting on unyielding rock the surface was soft and pliable. Moving as much as she dared Alma pressed her fingertips gently into the surface, feeling it give way under her touch. She couldn't feel a breeze, only warmth and when she finally mustered the strength to open her eyes realized she was in a hospital room.

"What?" she croaked out, wincing at the hoarseness of her voice as she rolled her eyes to the right to land on a figure sitting beside her.

"You're infallible luck never ceases to amaze me, Alma," the man spoke, voice deep and commanding yet kind.

"Morris-?"

"Yeah kid, it's me," he glanced over the newspaper he was reading with a wry smile. "You took quite a nasty tumble, didn't you?"

She moved to sit up, unable to keep from gasping when a sharp pain flooded through her left side. It made her vision swim violently and she was forced to lie back again to avoid becoming sick. Reaching up with shaky fingers she felt her short nails catch on the dressings around her head.

"Indeed I did," she rasped, shutting her eyes tightly when bright specks began appearing in her line of sight.

"Do you want some water?"

"Please. And some pain medicine." She sat up gingerly, taking slow shallow breaths to avoid being sick.

"The nurse already gave you a shot of Toradol shortly before you woke up so you can't have any more for a bit," Morris said, pouring her a cup of water and handing it to her. She folded her hands around it carefully, trying to ignore the way they were shaking slightly. He stood from her bedside, making his way to the door and dimming the lights.

"Nothing is broken but you are pretty beaten up, your head took the worst of the damage. I must say you are lucky to be alive."

"Nine lives baby," she muttered sarcastically, taking small sips of water.

"Do you want something to eat? I can order you something from the sandwich shop down the street if you want."

"Cut the bullshit Morris," she finally said, easing her eyes open to narrow slits of gray. "What happened to Ashley?"

He fell silent, not meeting her gaze for a moment and her heart plummeted into her stomach. "What do you remember?"

Alma swallowed thickly, turning her eyes towards the ceiling. "I remember driving down 769. There was a vehicle behind us for about half a mile before it vanished. I hit a spike strip and blew out the front right tire. When I went to inspect it some man, military if I had to guess, attacked us. I was thrown against the roadside barrier and almost knocked out. He grabbed Ashley and took off. When I got my bearings I went for the car but he must've laid some remote detonation device down because there was an explosion. I remember going over the side and falling but it's all blank after that."

Morris frowned, standing at parade rest at the foot of her bed. "Ashley Graham was abducted while in your care."

"I know."

"Do you have any idea who took her?"

"I don't." Her throat tightened in that annoying way that told her she was moments from crying in front of her superior.

"Thomas Graham has been informed, as has the rest of the Secret Service. We have Intelligence Officers working around the clock to try to figure out what happened."

"Will I be part of the investigation after interrogation?"

"Depends on what Graham wants to do. For all we know he'll have you blacklisted from the US and thrown into Guantanamo Bay until she's found."

"I already feel bad enough about what happened," she snapped, wincing when her head throbbed painfully.

"Sorry, but you know how it goes. Speaking of which, your interrogation will be held when you are released from the hospital. Doctor's giving you a few more days' bed rest before that'll happen. I don't need to remind you that you are under constant surveillance."

"You're right. You don't," Alma replied quietly, hearing him sigh.

"I'm not the enemy here, Alma," Morris said, sitting on the edge of her bed. "I'm trying to help you."

"I know. I just-," she trailed off, shutting her eyes when tears began welling in them. "I'm so pissed at myself." Morris remained silent for a minute before standing.

"I'll go get you something to eat. You need to rest. The next few weeks are going to be hard on all of us, especially you."

"Whatever," Alma whispered, looking down at her hands folded in her lap. He reached over as though he was about to touch her shoulder before drawing back.

"Turkey and cheddar?"

"Nothing better," she finished with a tight-lipped smile.

"You'll make it through this Ngyuen."

"I hope so."

* * *

After spending a little over twenty-two hours with a member of the CIA it was determined she hadn't been involved in Ashley's abduction and she was allowed to sit in on meetings with Central Intelligence.

Three weeks had passed before they got anything remotely resembling a lead and even then they were grasping at straws. Alma had been sitting in on a meeting with a few other government agents when a forensic scientist came forth with an interesting theory.

"What do you know about a company named ADC?" he had asked the group, producing mostly silence from those assembled until the man sitting across from Alma spoke up.

"ADC? Isn't that some weapon manufacturing company?" the agent asked. Alma glanced up at him from her folder. It was the first time he had spoken since he had arrived (ten minutes late but never mind that). All Alma knew about him was his name, Agent Kennedy, and that the man looked damn good in his Armani suit (but never mind that as well).

"It's short for Ares Defense Corporation, isn't it? They're based in the Greek Isles, ironically enough," Alma said, shuffling through the papers the scientist had given them upon his arrival.

"Why are you bringing this up, Johnson?" Morris asked.

"Because I have a theory," he stated, producing a sealed plastic bag from his business case and passing it to the man on his right. "This is the remains of the stun grenade that had been used during the attack. I have a contact who works for ADC that was able to confirm this is indeed one of their products."

"Your point?"

"ADC doesn't supply weapons to the United States or anywhere close to us. Their top buyers are European countries, most notably Spain."

"What are you saying?" Kennedy asked. "You think Ashley Graham is over in Europe somewhere?"

"It's possible. It could also just be happenstance but with how the investigation has gone so far I figure better a fool's hope than none at all," Johnson replied, waiting for the agents present to finish examining the evidence before returning it to him.

"How reliable is your contact?" Alma asked. Johnson smiled nervously, fussing with his tie for a moment.

As soon as he opened his mouth to reply the door to the boardroom swung open abruptly and an NSA Operative by the name of Richard Hammond strolled in.

"Kennedy. Ngyuen. Come with me," he pointed at both agents before turning sharply on his heel and exiting the room. She and Leon exchanged confused looks before gathering their paperwork and following suit.

"What's going on Hammond?" Leon asked as the older man led them down a confusing maze of halls in the Pentagon before reaching another meeting room.

"President Graham wants to speak with the two of you. The video conference will begin in two minutes," Hammond stated frostily. "Your mission directives are on the table."

"Mission directives-?" Alma echoed in confusion though he said nothing more on the subject and instead left them to their own devices.

"Still vague as ever," Leon muttered, rolling his eyes before opening the door and gesturing for Alma to pass through it first.

They seated themselves at a long table facing the television on the wall. A few seconds later the screen went white before the tired face of Thomas Graham appeared.

"Sir," they said in unison, rising to salute him though he waved his hand dismissively.

"Have a seat you two," he sighed, resting his elbows on his desk and looking at them pensively. "Have you had a chance to go over your directives?"

"No sir, we just received them not even a minute ago," Alma said, ducking her head when he looked her way.

"Hammond said they were mission directives. Are we being sent somewhere?" Leon asked.

"You are," a voice came from the laptop sitting below the television and the face of a man appeared on the screen a few seconds later. "My name is Derek Simmons. National Security Advisor to President Graham."

"Nice to meet you," the two agents said cordially.

"They recently received vital intelligence that someone matching Ashley's appearance has been spotted in Spain," Graham said, pulling their attention back to him.

"Spain is a pretty big country. Do we have anything to narrow down our search?" Leon asked, opening his folder.

"Negative," Simmons said. "All we know is she was spotted somewhere around the southwestern border near Portugal."

"By who?"

"Haven't the slightest clue but that's where you two come in. Effective immediately you both are being deployed to Seville and from there you will begin your search in the Andalusia Region for Miss Graham," Simmons said.

"What if this turns out to be a wild goose chase?" Alma said, folding her hands together in her lap. "Sounds like a ruse if I ever heard one."

"And if it is not a 'ruse' we risk missing an opportunity to bring Miss Graham home. I'm sure Johnson showed you what he found out about the grenade used during the abduction. Two plus two equals four, doesn't it?" Simmons replied, sounding a bit annoyed that she was questioning him.

"Please, you two," Graham said, rising from his chair in the Oval Office. Despite the grainy graphics Alma could make out tears in his eyes. "Please bring my baby home."

Leon and Alma shared a look before coming to an unspoken agreement as Leon looked back at the Commander in Chief.

"So when does our flight leave?"

* * *

Short chapter but the action will kick off in the next one when we get to Spain. I'm pleasantly surprised that people are liking this so far *beams*. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thank you mastergamer2495 and samspen for favoriting/following this and special thanks to Savage Kill for favoriting this as well as reviewing. You guys are so super-duper swish. You have no idea how happy I am to find people enjoying this, given how old this game is. See you next time.


	3. Three

Disclaimer: CAPCOM owns 'Resident Evil'. I own my OC and make no profit from this.

* * *

The breeze was cool and refreshing as Alma exited the private jet used to fly them across the sea to Spain. It had been a little over a nine and a half-hour flight and she was eager to stretch her legs and get some fresh air.

"You coming?" her partner asked, hefting his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah. Just stretching," she replied, bending to pick up her suitcase though Leon beat her to it. "I can carry that."

"I've got it. You can repay the favor by chauffeuring me around," he said with a slight smile. "I'll navigate."

Alma rolled her eyes good-naturedly as the pair exited the hangar to where their vehicle was waiting. "Don't blame me if you die."

"I'm not scared. Rumor has it you're one of the best drivers in the Service."

"Oh? Who told you that?"

"Morris did. He speaks very highly of you, Ngyuen."

"He was the one who recruited me to the Secret Service after I left SWAT," she said, showing their passports and badges to the soldier standing beside the SUV.

"You were in SWAT?" he asked, loading their gear into the trunk after they were cleared to do so. "Why'd you leave?"

"It wasn't exactly voluntary," she muttered, a wave of shame and anger washing over her when _That Memory_ reared its ugly head.

"Can I ask why?"

"You can but I don't particularly feel like telling you," it came out sounding a bit ruder than she had intended and she gave him an apologetic look.

"I understand. Sorry if I overstepped my bounds," Leon said, climbing into the passenger seat.

"You're fine. I'm just a bit of a bitch before I've been fully caffeinated," Alma replied, sliding behind the wheel. "Where are we going?"

"Huelva," her partner said, looking through his PDA. "We're going to be stationed there for the duration of our mission. We'll be meeting with the local police and they'll take us around to a few villages located in the region."

"Do they know about the situation?" Alma asked, putting the SUV in drive as they left the hangar.

"I've been told only a few people know about it. Mostly because we haven't determined who the kidnapper is," Leon stated. "It is the President's Daughter we're talking about."

"Don't remind me," Alma muttered quietly, hating herself just a little bit more.

"I didn't mean it like that-."

"I know. I'm just-I'm just mad at myself for letting it happen."

"You couldn't have prevented it. You did everything by the book," Leon tried to reassure her. "You didn't know it was going to happen."

Alma didn't reply, instead focusing on driving and tried her best to ignore the heavy weight settling in her chest.

* * *

It took a little over an hour for the two agents to reach Huelva. Alma pulled into the parking lot of the local police department, having been told they were meeting with the chief of police regarding their mission. As the SUV slowed to a stop, they spotted an officer exiting the building, making her way towards their vehicle.

"You must be Agent Kennedy and Agent Nguyen," she said while Alma and Leon climbed out of the SUV.

"That's right. And you are-?" Leon asked, extending his hand to the officer.

"My name is Anita Lopez. I am the Chief of Police here in Huelva. Welcome to Spain, though I wish you were visiting our gorgeous country under other circumstances," the older woman said solemnly, shaking both their hands. "I would like you both to know that I am willing to help with your investigation in any way I can."

"Thank you. Any help you can give us is appreciated," Alma said, allowing the officer to usher them inside the station, nodding to the officer at the front desk before Anita led them further back into the building into an office with her name outside the door.

"Alright then, shall we get down to business?" Anita asked, sitting behind her desk. "Outside of the major cities it's mostly farmland, hills, and rivers. There are a few farming villages in the region and they are not easily accessible."

"Do you have a map that shows the location of these villages?" Leon asked.

"As a matter of fact I do." Anita unfolded a map across her desk with four areas circled in red on it. "These are the villages that are inhabitable, the others haven't had people living there in well over ten to twenty years but there are still buildings and houses standing if you think your charge may be there."

"Which is furthest away?" Alma asked, placing her finger on said-circle.

"That would be Pueblo. It is a small farming village that sits at the base of a large fortress near the Gulf."

"A fortress you say?" Leon stated in surprise.

"Yes. From what I remember, a castellan lives there though he hasn't been seen in years. He may very well be dead in fact. No one knows," Anita shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Sounds like a good place to start. Secluded, easy access by boat," Alma said, exchanging a glance with Leon.

"Works for me," he nodded his agreement.

"If you'd like, I can arrange to have an officer or two drive you out to the village in the morning. It takes about four or five hours to get there, mostly because of the roads."

"Thank you. We have rooms at the inn for the evening so we'll be ready to roll out around four or five."

"We will?" Alma asked incredulously, giving him a sour look.

"Don't tell me you're one of those girls that need beauty sleep?"

"First off, I'm a woman, not a 'girl'. Second off, so what if I do?" Alma grumbled, resting a hand on her hip and giving him a sour look.

Leon wisely said nothing else, instead thanking the chief and folding up the map she had given them.

"I will have the officers meet you at five tomorrow morning then. I hope you find Miss Graham. I have a daughter her age and would be devastated if something like that happened to her. Best of luck you two."

"Thank you."

* * *

"Oh my gawd," Alma groaned, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes when she heard her alarm clock begin blaring on the nightstand. "Is it seriously four already?"

Rolling onto her side, she glared blearily at the acid-green numbers reading 4:03 AM. Muttering curses under her breath Alma kicked the blankets off, climbing out of bed. She reluctantly went through her morning yoga routine, nearly falling asleep once more in a bālāsana pose.

After completing her routine Alma took a quick shower before throwing her duffel bag on the bed. Rifling through it she removed a pair of black tactical pants, a gray t-shirt, and her undergarments. Once she finished dressing she zipped up the sides of her tactical boots, making sure the laces were snug as well.

Alma smiled grimly down at her boots. They were the only good things she had left over from SWAT in her opinion. Trying not to dwell on _That Memory_ any longer Alma finished blow drying her hair. She twirled a dark brown strand around her finger, looking at her reflection in the mirror. She hadn't realized it had gotten so long, the ends reaching just above her breasts.

Alma dragged a brush through her hair, tying it back in a ponytail before twisting it into a bun and securing it with a few bobby pins. When she felt she looked presentable enough Alma unlocked the attaché case that held her gear, withdrawing her vest, holster, belt pouch, first aid kit, ammunition, survival knife, and beloved Picador.

After fully outfitting herself for the day Alma tugged her dark gray pea coat over her shoulders, making sure her gun was concealed on her hip. She paused, hand hovering over the folder of information Simmons had given them before they left the States. She flipped it open, frowning when she picked up a recent photo of Ashley. Sighing, she tucked the photograph into her belt pouch before flipping off the lights in her room and headed downstairs to the lobby to meet with Leon.

* * *

The ride to Pueblo was relatively silent, save for the two officers arguing about what cassette tape to listen to. Alma had her headphones on, listening to her own music while Leon looked out the opposite window.

"Man, why do I always get the short end of the stick?" Officer Rodriguez grumbled, lacing his fingers behind his head as he looked out the passenger side window.

"You two are a long way from home. You have my sympathies," Officer Martinez told them, glancing in the rearview mirror at Alma. "But tell me senorita, what's a beauty like you doing all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Shut up Gabe. You have a wife, remember?" Rodriguez scolded him.

"I try not to, honestly," he replied with a sheepish grin, turning his attention back to the road.

"You guys know what our mission is about. We're to search for the President's missing daughter," Leon spoke up for the first time since they had begun travelling to Pueblo.

"So two agents was all America could spare?"

"Until we determine who the kidnapper is, we can only initiate very small covert operations," Alma replied. "No sense in letting them know we're here snooping around before we've actually found her."

"Okay, okay. You make a convincing case," Martinez said as the jeep made its way shakily across a wooden bridge. "Just up ahead is the village."

"I'll go have a look around," Leon stated, opening the door when the jeep rolled to a stop.

"We'll stay and watch the car. Don't want any parking tickets," Rodriguez said, getting comfortable in his seat.

"Right, parking tickets," Leon muttered with a roll of his eyes, eyeing the two-story house up ahead. "Looks like there's a truck blocking the road."

"Maybe whoever lives there owns it," Alma suggested, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Either way we won't be able to drive any further until it gets moved."

"You sit tight. I see smoke coming from the chimney so someone's home. Let me talk to them first."

"If you say so," Alma replied. "You're running this little salvage op. You've got five minutes before I come in after you."

"Yes ma'am," Leon winked playfully at her, shutting the door before heading off towards the house. Alma rolled her eyes with a smile of her own, watching him knock on the door before entering a few moments later.

She frowned, an uneasy feeling creeping up her spine as she rested her hand on her gun, glancing at her watch. When the four minute mark hit without any sign of the honey-haired agent Alma withdrew her Picador from its holster and checked the magazine to make sure it was loaded properly.

Suddenly, gunshots rang out from the house before going silent.

"Aw, fuck-," she swore, scrambling to open the door before hearing an engine roar to life.

"Get out of the car!" Alma's head snapped up as she saw the truck that had been blocking the road ahead had begun barreling towards them.

"Fuck-," she swore once more, letting out a startled gasp when the truck slammed into the front of the jeep, pushing it back towards the side of the canyon at an alarming rate. Alma threw her body weight against the door, shouldering it open as she hit the ground with a grunt. Both the truck and the jeep went over the side, taking out the wooden bridge when they did so.

"Rodriguez? Martinez?" she called, tugging her gun from its holster and flipping the safety off. She didn't see either officer and hoped they hadn't been in the jeep when it went over. However, it became quite apparent that she had more important things to worry about as three men, dressed in raggedy clothing and wielding an array of sharp, pointy farming implements came running at her.

"Freeze!" she barked, taking aim. When they kept advancing she called it out it Spanish. " _Basta!_ "

When they showed no sign of doing so Alma inhaled sharply, taking aim and dropped each man with a round through the head. She lowered her gun, frowning slightly before hearing the front door creak open.

"Kennedy?" she called cautiously. A few moments later said-agent came into view, looking about as worried as she felt.

"Are you okay Alma?" he asked, giving her a once-over.

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah, where are the officers?"

"I don't know," she sighed, holstering her gun. "Someone drove that truck right towards the jeep."

"Shit," Leon murmured, running a hand through his hair in agitation.

"What happened?" she asked while they started backtracking towards the bridge.

"Hostile local. You?"

"Same," Alma replied, nodding towards the men on the ground. "Had no choice."

"Yeah," Leon sighed, looking over the side of the ravine. "I don't see any bodies. Maybe they did get out."

"I hope so. Any word from Hunnigan?"

"Said to keep heading for the village. Guy in there flipped when I showed him Ashley's picture. Maybe that means she's around here."

"I just hope we won't have to massacre the entire village to get to her."

"That makes two of us but we will do what's necessary to save her."

"I know," Alma said quietly, glancing over her shoulder before her eyes widened. "Where are they?"

"Where are who?" Leon asked.

"The men, the bodies. There were three of them but they're gone!" Alma exclaimed, rushing forward.

Leon remained silent, watching her kneel by a small pool of blood, disbelief etched all over her face. "Ngyuen, I have a question for you."

"What?" she snapped over her shoulder, unable to get her mind around what had happened.

He inhaled a deep breath and locked his eyes on hers. "What do you know about the Umbrella Corporation…?"

* * *

And it's done. Gosh, sorry for the late update. I've been super busy with Real Life so thank you to those that have favorited/followed this and those that have reviewed. Hopefully it won't be too long between this and the next update. Cheers. Oh, and sorry for any grammar/spelling booboos.


	4. Four

A/N: Two things. One, sorry for being MIA and Two; has anyone played RE7 yet? How is it? I can't play it because I get _horrible_ motion sickness doing so. I've been living vicariously through various YouTubers for the moment (I haven't finished watching the game so no spoilers) while I try to figure out a way around this. I normally don't feel ill playing video games. Ah well, enough of my whining. Leggo.

* * *

Disclaimer: Resident Evil is owned by CAPCOM. I only own Alma and any other OC's not prevalent in the RE universe.

* * *

Leon had filled the awkward silence between their first encounter with the 'Not-Zombies' and two mile-long hike down the road to the village proper with what he knew about Umbrella and their bioterrorist ways with the T and G-virus.

Alma had been mostly silent, only interrupting him when she had something pertinent to add to the conversation. She seemed to be taking the news surprisingly well (that or she was very good at hiding her shock and disbelief).

She hadn't asked what had happened to him that night in Raccoon City and for that he was grateful. He relived it enough talking to therapists and psychologists throughout the years.

They hadn't encountered any other hostiles along the way, only a wolf with his paw stuck in a bear trap. Leon had gone to its aid, managing to pry the steel jaws apart so the animal could get free. It darted off, only pausing to let out what he assumed was a grateful yip before vanishing into the brush.

"Ever the white knight, huh?" he glanced over his shoulder at his partner, seeing a wry smile on her lips. He was unsure of how to respond, instead giving her a smile of his own.

"Only when it comes to animals and pretty women," he finally replied, seeing a bit of color stain her cheeks. She regained her composure quickly, however, and turned her attention back to the road.

"I think I see someone up on that hill," she informed him, nodding her head in the direction she was looking.

"Where?" he asked, squinting his eyes a bit.

"Past those trees, by a bit of broken fence," Alma said, pointing ahead.

After a moment he spotted an old man holding what looked like a pitchfork on a small rise. He was shambling back and forth, pausing to look around for a few moments before continuing his patrol.

"You've got good eyes," he praised her, rubbing a hand over his forehead before glancing sideways at her. "Think you can hit him from here?"

"Is that a challenge, Agent Kennedy?" she smirked, withdrawing her Picador from its holster.

"Just an inquiry," Leon replied. "It actually looks like he's guarding the path."

"Let's not disappoint him then," Alma murmured, thumbing the safety off before starting forward.

* * *

"Leon, Alma, how're you holding up?"

"Bad question Hunnigan," Alma stifled an annoyed snort, brushing twigs and dirt off her jacket and out of her hair (courtesy of her nearly walking into a trip mine ten minutes earlier).

"I'm sorry to hear that. I'll let you know when I have more information."

"Understood," Leon replied, ending the transmission before withdrawing his binoculars from its pouch. Alma exhaled soundly, resting a hand on her hip. "You okay?"

"I'd be fine if we were better equipped for this," she sighed, removing a box of handgun bullets from her ammunition pouch. "I've only got about twenty rounds left, plus two in the chamber. Maybe we should adopt a stealthier approach?"

Leon frowned, raising the binoculars and peering through them. "Doesn't look like an option," he murmured, eyes narrowing when he saw something burning in the middle of the square before he swore in realization.

"What? What is it?" Alma asked.

"They killed one of the officers," he said quietly, handing her the binoculars. "And I saw at least five villagers milling around but who knows how many are in the houses."

Alma swallowed past the lump in her throat, raising the binoculars and focusing on the burning pyre. Sure enough one of the cops was burning in the middle of it, a large hook protruding through his chest.

"Poor bastard," she muttered, sweeping her gaze around the area and seeing three villagers working. "Shit, I'd give my left nut for a Barrett M82 right now."

"Overkill much?"

"But that's just it; no kill like overkill, right?" she tried to joke, handing him the binoculars back. "What now?"

"We run."

"Why-?"

" _¡Allí están!_ " she heard a woman call out. Alma's head whipped up, seeing a woman in a dirty blue dress and ratty bandana pointing at them. She saw four people turn from their chores and begin advancing on them.

"That's why. C'mon," he ordered, running forward and taking the left fork in the path.

"Um-kay, yeah," she agreed, racing after him and narrowly avoiding having her face rearranged with a sickle.

' _They're fast,'_ she thought to herself, glancing back over her shoulder. ' _This is not good.'_

"Shift it, Ngyuen!" she heard Leon bark over his shoulder, eliciting a huff of annoyance from the brunette.

Alma grumbled under her breath, nailing the woman that had called them out in the head. She cried out, staggering around for a moment and clutching her head. Alma seized the opportunity, kissing her opponent's jaw with the heel of her boot via vicious reverse roundhouse.

The effect was…surprising, to say the least.

Bits of blood, skull, and gray matter went flying as Alma's foot knocked the other woman's head clean off her shoulders. Her eyes widened when the woman's body lurched forward, falling onto the ground before melting into a puddle of blood and yellow goop.

"Um-kay-," she swallowed tightly, whirling around and evading an axe swung her way. Reflexes honed by years of training immediately kicked in as Alma brought up her gun, blowing a hole in the man's left arm.

He growled, clutching his shoulder and glaring back at her. Her hand flew up, grabbing the axe out of his right hand before burying it in his skull. He too fizzled into a puddle of goo at her feet, the axe sticking up from the ground.

"Well then," she breathed, turning to face a small group of villagers advancing on her as she struggled to dig an ammo box out of her pouch. "This is shaping up to be one fuck of a bad hair day-."

"Get down!"

She took a knee instinctively, feeling something whiz past her cheek. She watched it explode into flames upon contact with the villagers. They stumbled around, batting at the flames with their hands before falling to the ground in mounds of ashes, the scent of burnt flesh lingering in the air.

"Where did you-? Fire grenade-?" she gasped out, lurching to her feet and giving the other agent a wide-eyed stare.

"House," he grunted. "Here, take this." Alma caught the ammo box he tossed her way. "This too."

"What-?" her eyes widened a fraction when he tossed a frag grenade her way. "I really don't think you should entrust me with the exploding doodads."

"Don't really have much of a choice sweetheart," Leon replied, grabbing her by the back of her jacket and hauling her along with him. "Let's go!"

Alma didn't argue, racing forward and into the house he had gestured to earlier. Leon kicked the door shut behind them, shoving a cabinet in front of the door and taking a step back.

"Now what?" Alma finally asked , watching him barricade a window with a toppled bookshelf.

"We stay here," Leon said, reloading his handgun and getting ready for the second wave.

"Um, I don't think we should-."

"We need to bottleneck them into one area," he stated. "Then we can start picking them off."

"In case you weren't paying attention this place has a second level," Alma said snippily. "I get it, believe me. Backing ourselves into a corner leaves us nowhere to run but also makes us more aggressive because we're forced to fight. But this seems like suicide to me-."

"Quiet," Leon snapped, eliciting a growl of annoyance from Alma. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what-?"

"Shh!" he hushed her once more, pressing his ear against the wall and closing his eyes.

"Why you-!" Alma bit out angrily before hearing a faint whining sound. "What…?"

It grew in intensity before deepening into a familiar low, throaty grinding sound as the smell of gasoline filled the air.

"That's a-."

"Chainsaw," Leon finished grimly, grabbing her hand and hauling her upstairs behind him. "Out the window."

"Out the what-!?" she wasn't able to finish her thought as Leon slammed his elbow into said-window. Alma was amazed at the ease that the dirty window broke, almost like it was sugar glass you'd see in action movies.

Alma jumped through it after Leon, careful to avoid the bits of glass still clinging to the frame. They landed on a sheet of metal connecting the house they were in to a neighboring rooftop. Alma saw a wooden ladder had been propped against two parts of the roof. She glanced over at Leon who nodded in silent agreement.

He took up post at the one closest to the house they had taken refuge in and Alma headed across the roof onto the neighboring house. Each villager that climbed up the ladder received a round in his or her head, tumbling down to the ground with varying yelps of pain before melting into puddles of goo.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel," she remarked to herself with a satisfied smile. There was a lull in gunfire as she and Leon reloaded their guns at the same time.

She had never been so grateful for the timing because had they continued shooting she would've gotten her head torn clean off her shoulders from the chainsaw-wielding villager…

He had been approaching her from behind while she had been suitably distracted, climbing through the window Leon had broken a few minutes before. The metal roof groaned loudly under his weight, alerting her to his presence. She had just enough time to throw herself into a sloppy roll just as he revved up the chainsaw and brought it down upon her with a bloodcurdling scream.

Alma lay on her back, raising her gun. It took five shots in the head to stagger the maniac and he regained his composure quickly. Alma used the time to get back on her feet, putting space between them. He was much stronger than the villagers they had been fighting and Alma weighed the pros and cons about blowing him to Kingdom Come with the grenade she had on her hip.

" _Te voy a matar_ ," he growled as he revved up the chainsaw. She shot him four more times, sending him reeling backwards. Alma took three steps forward, drawing her leg up to her chest and prepared to deliver a vicious uppercut via twist kick to his jaw-

-only to see him going flying off the roof to her right. She looked at the spot he had been to where he had flown off the roof and finally back to Leon-

-who had apparently come into possession of a pump-action shotgun somewhere within the past five minutes…

"Where did you-?"

"It was hanging on the wall in the house. I thought it was a prop or antique at first but it's not…obviously," he shrugged, rotating it in his hands.

"Oh," she breathed, reloading her gun and trying to ignore the way her fingers were shaking. "Okay. I can accept."

"Are you okay Nguyen?"

Alma swallowed thickly. "Not really but I'll manage."

"I understand, believe me," Leon assured her before they heard something that sounded like church bells ringing.

The villagers suddenly ceased their assault on the agents, dropping their farming tools and began shuffling as a unit towards a large stone structure with a strange red symbol etched into the metal of the door.

"Lord Saddler," they heard one man grumble and the bewildered agents exchanged a look of confusion as the villagers filed into the building, the door shutting and behind them with an audible clang.

"Tch, where's everyone going? Bingo?" Leon scoffed, raking a hand back through his hair in an attempt to hide the way his own hands were trembling. That had been far too close for comfort.

"Now what?" Alma said after a few minutes of silence, plopping down on the roof and letting her legs dangle over the edge.

"I need to contact Hunnigan and let her know what's happened."

"That's probably a good idea," Alma sighed, stretching out her achy limbs. "I'm going to take a look around, maybe I can find some more ammo boxes."

"Be careful," Leon told her, eliciting a faint smile from the brunette.

"Always am," Alma replied, hopping down from the roof onto the ground. She could hear Leon speaking with their mission support as she strode across the village center, taking in her surroundings now that she was no longer in danger of being murdered.

Everything in the village looked absolutely disgusting, like there was a layer of grime that had crusted over every surface. Buildings were falling apart, food was rotting in barrels and ice boxes, and the villagers themselves had looked filthy and unwashed. It was the result of neglect over a long period of time.

This…sickness…whatever it was, had taken root and flourished in the small farming village.

Well, whatever had happened, she was in it for the long haul now.

"Buy the ticket, take the ride," she muttered sarcastically to herself, glancing over her shoulder at her partner. "What do you think happened to the people here? T-virus?"

"No, not exactly," Leon stated with a shake of his head. "The villagers could still speak and communicate. They were doing chores when we got here, going through the motions of their former lives," Leon trailed off, a quiet laugh escaping him.

"What is it?" she asked, edging a door open and breaking one of the barrels inside with her knife, revealing a handful of gold coins which she pocketed (it's not like the villagers were using them any more).

"That almost makes them worse," he finished quietly, rolling his shoulders back with a sigh.

"Great," she muttered, resting a hand on her hip while he searched the rest of the house. Their sweep through the village yielded a few ammo boxes and a few herbs that Leon informed her had regenerative qualities when used to bandage wounds.

"How do you know that?"

"I was a boy scout once upon a time," he replied, jury-rigging a length of belt he had found in a cabinet and a bit of sheet together to make a shotgun scabbard.

"I see," Alma said, watching him do so with a raised eyebrow. "I'm impressed."

"Alright, Hunnigan told us to follow a trail near the watchtower. That should get us out of here. I hope," he muttered the last part under his breath, situating the scabbard on his back and checking that his handgun was loaded.

She nodded, pausing to retie her hair out of her face before following her partner.

* * *

They saw the doors Hunnigan had told Leon about but before they approached them, something caught Alma's eye in one of the small huts along the trail.

"What is it?" Leon called, watching her enter it.

"A note on the wall, and some ammo but that's irrelevant," Alma stated, yanking the note down. She noticed a manila envelope had fallen to the ground and she stooped to pick it up, handing Leon the note.

"For those of you not yet informed, the prisoner is being held in the old house beyond the farm. We will transfer the prisoner to a more secure location when we are ready. She is to stay there until further notice. _Do not let the American agents find the prisoner_ ," he read aloud, glancing over at the brunette when he heard her swore.

"Look at this. They have pictures of us leaving the hangar when we first got here and when we were staying in Huelva. They've been watching us the whole time," she stated, showing him the photos she had found in the envelope.

"This Chief Mendez guy thinks there's a third party involved aside from us," Leon said, raking a hand through his hair in agitation. "If that's true…"

"Then we've got a lot more to worry about than just finding Ashley," Alma finished, tearing the photos into pieces and letting them fall to the ground. "We have to get moving."

"Couldn't have said so better myself."

* * *

So, yeah. That's it. Um, not much to say as I said a bunch at the start. So thanks for reading. Almost 3000 words for your amusement. Sorry if it isn't action-packed enough and there's too much 'telling' rather than 'showing' with the dialogue. I'm going to try to incorporate a RE5/RE6 feel with counters and melee ass kicking a little later on (hence Alma stealing a farmer's axe for herself). That was the only reason I liked RE6, all the over the top wrestling and MMA moves the characters pulled off (don't judge me). Anyways, thanks again. I'll try not to be so far in between updates next time.


	5. Five

Disclaimer: Resident Evil is owned by CAPCOM. I only own my OCs and make no profit from this either.

* * *

"If I start hearing banjos at any point during this trip I'm so outtie 5000," Alma declared to Leon when they finished mopping up the villagers they'd come across tending to the farm.

"I thought it was 'Audi 5000'?" Leon replied, catching his breath and giving her a little half-smile.

"What?" she asked in confusion. "That's what I said; outtie 5000."

"No, you said 'outtie', not 'Audi'," her partner countered, going through a few cabinets on the first floor of the shabby barn house.

Alma pursed her lips in annoyance, folding her arms over her chest. "That's what I said Leon," she insisted once more.

"No it's not-," he trailed off, withering slightly under the glare she sent his way.

' _Women are scary, don't matter how old they are. As a matter of fact, the older they are, the scarier they seem to get_ ,' he thought to himself, giving her a blithering smile in response.

She seemed pacified with the way he fell silent and continued opening a few wooden crates with her knife as Leon covertly breathed a sigh of relief.

Once they had finished pilfering supplies from the farm the duo headed through the only doors they could. The other set of doors was barred shut and while Leon could've easily boosted Alma over it, there was no reason not to take the right path first.

Work smarter, not harder after all.

They shouldered the doors open together, revealing a few stone steps carved into the ground leading down a hill from their current position.

"That doesn't bode well," Leon murmured, nodding towards a sign in the shape of a red 'X' with what looked like two skulls hanging from it. "Watch your step."

"No kidding," Alma agreed, looking at the ground for any hidden bear traps before cautiously walking forward.

"?!" Alma let out a startled squeak when she felt Leon grab her by the belt and yank her backwards as a giant boulder came crashing down on the exact spot she'd been standing moments before.

She went down hard, hearing an ominous 'pop' elicit from her right elbow when it struck one of the steps. Fire seemed to lick at her fingertips as white-hot pain flared up and down the length of her arm. It took everything she had not to start crying.

"You okay?" Leon asked, extending a hand her way to help her up. Alma gave him a sour look, reaching up and grasping his outstretched hand with her left.

"Thanks," she muttered after catching her breath, allowing him to help her to her feet. "You've got good reflexes."

"I just pay attention," he shrugged, eliciting another dirty look from the brunette. "Not saying you don't-."

"I know," she sighed, wincing when she tried bending her elbow. "Might be out of commission though."

Leon frowned, uncrossing his arms from his chest. "Are you hurt?"

"Heard and felt a pop when I hit my elbow," she sighed, swallowing tightly. "Don't know if it's broke or-."

"Dislocated?" Leon suggested, taking her right wrist gently in hand and helping her out of her coat so he could examine her elbow.

"I don't know. I'm not gonna look though," she sniffed, turning her head the opposite way.

"I can pop it back in for you."

"Um, I don't think-."

"My little brother would always get nursemaid elbow when we were kids so I got pretty good at it."

"This is a little different than that-."

"This might hurt a bit."

"Please don't-." A howl of agony escaped Alma when he pulled down on her wrist and levered her elbow back into place with a wet 'snap'.

"You okay?"

"Do I fucking look okay!?" she seethed angrily, ignoring the fact that the pain was actually slightly more manageable than it had been in favor of being a bit of a bitch (and justifiably so, thank you very much).

"Sorry, I'll bandage you up," he stated with an apologetic shrug, withdrawing a roll of bright blue coban from his ammo pouch along with some gauze, a yellow herb and a green. "The herbs will help alleviate some of the swelling at the site. I've also got some Advil in my kit I can give you."

Alma watched him diligently wrap her elbow with gauze that had the paste-like herb concoction on it. He was being so gentle that it was making it really hard for her to stay mad at him.

When he finished patching her up she choked down her painkillers dry, grimacing as she did so.

"Thanks," she sighed as he helped her back into her jacket.

"Can you still shoot?"

"I'm ambidextrous when it comes to firearms."

"Convenient," Leon replied with a slight chuckle.

"Wasn't the best sniper in SWAT for nothing," Alma stated.

"You were a sniper?" he asked as the pair cautiously made their way down the hill, keeping an eye out for any more unwelcomed surprises.

"Mmhm. Been shooting since I was old enough to hold a gun."

"What's your favorite?"

"Ah, nothing can beat a good old fashioned bolt-action rifle," she smiled. "But I've always had a soft spot in my heart for 12-gauge shotties."

"A girl after my own heart," Leon teased her as they made their way through a break in the hillside, dodging bats as they did so.

The other side opened to reveal a rundown barn (though everything was rundown it seemed), and two small houses.

"See him?"

"Mmhm. See two in fact," Alma agreed, withdrawing her handgun from her shoulder holster with a wince. "There's another in the house."

"What's he holding?" Leon asked, squinting a bit.

"Something hazardous to our health?" Alma suggested.

Leon took a step forward, then another before a hissing sound reached their ears.

"That's-." He threw up his arms in front of his face to protect it from dirt and debris spraying up from the ground.

"Dynamite," she finished, taking aim as the Not-Zombie held up another stick he had gotten from god knows where. Alma waited for him to ignite it before nailing him in the hand, setting it off prematurely and blowing their enemy to bits.

"Do you think you can hit the-?" Leon hadn't even finished speaking before the second Not-Zombie blew up as well.

"Yup."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," he settled on saying as she strolled past him nonchalantly. "You remind me of someone I used to know."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" she asked over her shoulder, sidestepping a bear trap.

Leon furrowed his brow, glancing away as the memory of a certain Lady in Red decided to surface for the first time in a while.

"Oh, bad thing, huh?" Alma tried to joke after a few moments of silence had passed.

"No. Just-someone I knew from Raccoon City. She, uh, she-," Alma swiftly cut him off.

"You don't have to explain. I know how much it sucks getting flashbacks to things I don't want to remember," she assured him, clapping a hand on his shoulder and giving it a shake. "C'mon. We've got a mission to finish."

"Roger that," Leon agreed, giving her a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach his eyes.

* * *

"Door's locked."

"No kidding," Alma snorted with a roll of her eyes. "Too bad I didn't bring my lock pick kit along."

"Isn't your motto supposed to be 'always ready' or something?" he asked, crouching down and eyeing the heavy padlock securing the door.

"That's the Coast Guard you're thinking of. My old squad's motto was 'Don't get up, we'll let ourselves in'." Leon was unable to stifle a laugh at those words.

"Cheeky."

"Comes with the territory, you know that. You were a cop once upon a time, weren't you?"

"Only for a day."

Alma raised an eyebrow at those words. "Seriously?"

"Yup," he stood, brushing off his pants. "Stand back."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to shoot it off."

"This isn't Hollywood Leon, you can't shoot a padlock off a door," she scoffed, resting her hands on her hips.

"With a shotgun you can," he assured her. "Stand back."

"And you know this how?"

"Trust me when I say you don't wanna know," Leon replied. Alma retreated to a safe distance, watching him take aim before blowing the lock clear across the porch (as well as putting a dent in the metal door).

"Impressive."

"Oh please. I know it'll take a lot more than that to impress you," Leon replied, shouldering the shotgun once more before opening the door.

Alma raised an eyebrow, a tiny smile tugging at her lips as she followed him in.

"See anything useful?" she called, puttering around the tiny kitchen as he wandered further into the house.

"Yeah. Come give me a hand with this."

Alma started down the hall after her partner. "There's a breeze coming from behind this bookshelf. Looks like there's a room behind it."

Alma leaned her good arm against the bookshelf, bracing herself with her feet as she helped Leon move it.

"You hear that?" Alma tilted her head in the direction of a wardrobe at the back of the room Leon had nodded towards. The door was rattling, like something was trying to get out of it. "I'll take point."

"I've got your back," she assured him, readying her weapon.

"Just so long as you don't put a bullet in it."

Alma bit back the rude comment on the tip of her tongue, instead replying with a scathing, "That wasn't funny."

Leon glanced over his shoulder at the irritated agent. "I was just joking. Sorry if it came out sounding-."

"Ignorant? Rude? Dickish?" she supplied hotly, seeing him wilt slightly under the verbal onslaught.

"Yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly before clearing his throat. "Anyways, you ready?"

"Locked and loaded," she grumbled, raising her Picador to the wardrobe. Leon stood off to the right side, gripping the handle.

He locked eyes with her, giving her a curt nod that she readily returned, steadying her aim. Leon unlocked the wardrobe as a body came tumbling out of it. Alma stepped forward, lowering her weapon after a moment when she realized he was bound hand and foot.

He looked wildly between the two agents, mumbling and frantically shaking his head. Leon crouched, ripping the tape off his mouth.

"Ouch, ohh, little rough, don't you think?" he spoke with a thick accent, glancing between the pair nervously. Leon unceremoniously rolled the man on his front, withdrawing his knife from its sheathe.

"Y-you guys aren't like Them?" the captive asked as Leon began sawing through the ropes securing him.

"No, you?"

"Nope," he rolled away from the agents, rubbing at his bruised wrists and running a hand back through his disheveled hair. He cleared his throat, brushing dirt off the sleeves of his used-to-be-white shirt. "I just have one very important question."

"If it's 'can I have a gun' the answer is no," Alma stated, holstering hers and drawing her right arm across her chest, cradling her elbow.

"Nah. Just wondering if either of you have a smoke," the Spaniard said with a sheepish grin.

"Got gum," Leon offered, procuring a wrinkled pack of Double Mint from his jacket pocket.

"You were holding out on me," Alma said, reaching forward with her left hand and wiggling her fingers. "Gimme."

"You could say 'please'," Leon grumbled, opening the pack before hearing the floor creak loudly out in the hallway.

Alma swung around, seeing a bearded man that towered over her by at least a foot and a half standing at the doorway with two other villagers wielding pitchforks.

"Perfect. The 'Big Cheese'," the former captive sighed, leaning back against the wardrobe door.

"Who?" Leon asked, eyes narrowing as he sized up the new arrivals. Alma swallowed tightly, taking stock of their opponents and coming to the realization she wouldn't be able to draw her gun before they reached her. She couldn't rely on CQC, regardless of how much better her elbow was feeling. Maybe they could-

She didn't get any further than that in her planning before Leon charged forward, spinning a powerful back kick to the giant's chest. There was an awkward paused before the 'Big Cheese' grasped Leon's booted foot and flipped him ass over head back into the wardrobe.

"Leon!" Alma yelled as the wardrobe crumbled to splinters around her partner and the other male. She didn't fare much better than Leon, being brutally bitch-slapped into the wall seconds later. She struck her head on the corner of a cabinet on the way down, lights bursting in myriads of color before her eyes.

The last thing she saw was the 'Big Cheese' approaching her before the world flared white and just as abruptly went black.

* * *

"Hey. Hey, wake up."

"Ay, yi, yi. Crawl out of one hole and into another." Alma inhaled sharply through her nose, opening her eyes to narrow slits. The ground was hard beneath her and she could feel dirt and gravel scraping against her cheek.

"What fresh hell is this?" she muttered hoarsely, clenching her eyes shut before fully opening them. They were in what looked like a storeroom, judging from the bags of grain she was currently propped against, sunlight streaming in through a narrow window.

"Ngyuen, you okay over there?"

"Not really," she replied, eyeing the heavy manacles around her wrists securing her to the wall. "But I'll make do. You wanna tell us what's going on here, _guapo_?"

"Hmph, _me llamo_ Luis Sera but thank you for the compliment," the Spaniard flashed her a charming smile only to receive a sour look in response.

"My name's Leon, that's Alma. We came here looking for this girl, have you seen her?" Alma heard Leon rustle around in his ammo pouch, withdrawing a picture of Ashley from it and showing it to Luis.

"What, are you supposed to be cops or something?" Luis asked, glancing between the agents. "Nah, neither of you look the type."

"What does it matter? Have you seen her or not?" Alma grumbled, getting tired of the way he was dancing around the question as she stretched her legs out before her with a pleased sigh.

"Oh, feisty aren't we? Mm, let me guess. She's the President's Daughter…?"

"That's too good for a guess," Leon said after a pause. "Wanna start explaining?"

"Psychic powers," Luis stated cryptically.

"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," Alma retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"You must be fun at parties," Luis replied, eliciting a small chuckle from Leon. "Nah, I just overheard the villagers who locked me up mention something about the President's Daughter being held in a church somewhere."

"We were already by the church and they tried to murder us," Alma said, glancing over at Leon.

"No you weren't. There's a secret passage that leads under the church in the village to another church."

' _Church-ception,'_ Alma thought wryly to herself as the two men began nattering away. Alma managed to wrestle two bobby pins from her hair and set to work unlocking her binds. The lock looked old and she figured with a bit of skillful jimmying she could get it open. She only paused in her endeavor when she heard the words 'Raccoon City' and 'Viral Outbreak'.

"I think I might have seen a sample of the virus in the lab at my department," Luis said.

"What do you mean department? Where do you work?" Alma asked before hearing something metal scraping along the floor.

" _Te voy a matar_!" She heard a gruff voice say angrily. Alma glanced over, seeing a bloodied villager approaching the Leon and Luis, dragging an axe behind him, and immediately redoubled her lock picking effort.

"Do something, cop!" she heard Luis shout.

"Tch, after you!" Leon answered, struggling against the chain holding them together. "Oh shit-."

The villager was less than five feet from the pair when Alma heard a liberating 'click' elicit from her restraints. She shook them off her wrists and leapt forward, kicking off a nearby crate with a war cry. The villager turned, seeing her flying towards him. He didn't have time to raise the axe as Alma's legs landed on his shoulders.

She locked her ankles around his neck and let her weight carry her backwards, bracing her hands on the ground like she would during a backflip as he flipped over her face first onto the floor. Alma gave her hips and knees a swift jerk to the left, hearing him gurgle weakly before a crack like a gunshot echoed in the storeroom.

Alma stood, seeing the villager melt into a puddle of goo at her feet. She breathed heavily through her nose, trying to catch her breath as she knelt to undo the chain securing Leon and Luis together.

"Hey!" she yelped when the Spaniard sprang up, knocking her off her feet before darting out of the room.

"Let him go," Leon said, grasping her arm and helping her up. "I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him."

"If you say so," she sighed, rubbing her right arm and working out the stiffness in her elbow. It felt much better than it had and she figured it had to do with Leon's herb mixture. "You okay?"

"Yeah, that was…," Leon trailed off, looking at the pile of yellow goop on the floor.

"Amazing? Badass? Coolest thing you've ever seen?" Alma supplied, resting her hands on her hips and offering him a cheery smile.

"Terrifying," he finished with a faint shiver. "Did you seriously just do a god damn Frankensteiner on him? _And_ snap his neck with your thighs?"

"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?"

"Where did you learn that?" he asked in disbelief.

"My dad used to be a small-time wrestler back in his prime and owns an MMA gym, the Struggle Snuggle Academy," Alma informed him. "As soon as I could walk he taught me how to fight."

Leon was silent for a moment. "You are something else."

"That's what they tell me," she chuckled, seeing their guns lying on a nearby table. "So nice of them to leave our guns and my vest. Too bad they took our jackets."

"Just tragic," Leon replied sarcastically, grabbing his radio off his belt. "Leon to Hunnigan. Come in Hunnigan."

"Leon, it's been-."

"I know, I know. Sorry I couldn't report in sooner. I was a bit…tied up…," he trailed off, eliciting an eye roll from his partner.

"You're both okay though, yeah?"

"Mmhm. There was a male being held captive. According to him Ashley's being held in a church somewhere."

"What happened to him?"

"He escaped," Alma called over her shoulder, checking out their weapons while Leon gave report.

"Do you know where this church is?" Hunnigan asked, taking notes as they spoke.

"Apparently there's a secret passage in the village proper that leads to it."

"Of course there is," Hunnigan muttered before raising her eyes to meet Leon's. "Take care you two. Over and out."

As the pair got suited up once more, Alma turned to face Leon. "Now what?"

"We head back to the village," Leon said, holstering his pistol after making sure it was fully functional.

"Great," she sighed, following him through the small building and out the door.

Before them was a set of metal double doors and Alma spotted at least seven different villagers patrolling the area past the low stone wall but she was willing to bet there was a hell of a lot more than she could see.

"Great," she muttered again, checking her gun. "Don't think I have enough bullets for this. I'm gonna take one more look through the building again, maybe I can find some more supplies."

"If you say so," Leon replied, surveying the area with his binoculars. "Looks like this is the only way forward."

Alma headed back inside, spying a box of rifle bullets on a table. "Hm. If you are here then that must mean…," she trailed off, shouldering the door open to a side room.

Her eyes widened and a slow smile spread over her face when she saw what was hanging on the wall.

"Oh baby. Oh honey, Alma thinks you are gorgeous," she grinned, carefully picking up the coal-black 30.06 rifle. It was no Remington 700 but she could make do.

* * *

" _Remember cadet. There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and for those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it never cared for anything else thereafter*._

 _"Sir, yes sir!"_

* * *

Her lips curved into a faint smirk at the thought as she loaded eight rounds into the magazine from the ammo box. She pushed the bolt as far forward as she could, hearing a familiar click as it stripped a round from the magazine into the breach.

It had been too long since she last held a rifle, not since she completed her training with the Secret Service.

"Time for a little target practice," she murmured, adjusting the scope as she headed back outside to her partner.

* * *

Obligatory Alma badass scene (don't worry, there won't be too many of them, just a sprinkling here and there to remind Leon she's not some damsel). To those who don't know what a frankensteiner is you can find plenty of videos on YouTube of it, it's so cool looking. Like I said, I'll be taking a page out of RE6 and using more over the top combat moves because why the hell not? Long chapter is long. Hope you enjoyed. Sorry if the cut-scenes sound like a script revision. Tried to make it original but it's hard. *shrugs*. I really, really wanna get to the Del Lago scene which is coming up in the next chapter so yay. Thanks so much for reading lovelies and many thanks to those that have reviewed with their kind words and encouraging thoughts. Till next time. Cheers.

*I can't take credit for the sniper quote, Ernest Hemingway said it.


	6. Six

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil, CAPCOM does. I just like mussing about with canon.

* * *

She had taken up post at the highest point in the canyon while Leon cleaned house with his shotgun. She wasn't sure how many villagers the 'Big Cheese' had stationed in the canyon, having lost count after four or five consecutive kills. She only had two rounds left for her rifle and hoped the seemingly never-ending onslaught would end soon.

Alma watched Leon through her scope, seeing him give her a thumbs up after checking the last shack. She sighed heavily, shouldering her rifle and jumped down off her post, climbing down the ladder the rest of the way.

"Nice shooting, Ngyuen," Leon complimented her.

"Thanks Kennedy. Could say the same about you," she replied, following him to a set of doors which had a strange hexagonal indentation in place of handles.

"Looks like we need to find something that fits this hole," Leon stated, turning from the door.

"Because keys are clearly way too mainstream for these guys," Alma grumbled sarcastically, resting a hand on her hip. "What do we do now?"

"Start looking?" he suggested, grasping her shoulder and giving it a gentle shake before walking away. Alma pursed her lips in annoyance, checking that her guns were loaded.

"I am not getting paid enough for this," she muttered, raking a hand through her disheveled hair. It had come free from the bun she had put it in that morning (had it really only been a day?) and she combed her fingers through it. Alma pulled her hair up off her shoulders, fastening it in a messy ponytail so it was out of her sweaty face.

Heaving a sigh Alma turned her attention back to the canyon and entered a nearby house. She rifled through the lockers and crates, coming up empty handed.

"What am I even looking for?" she groaned, pressing the heels of her palms against her eyes and smoothing her bangs back. "This is stupid."

As soon as the words left her mouth she heard her radio beep with an incoming call. Alma arched a brow, withdrawing her headset from her radio holder and hooked it around her ear.

"Uh, yeah?" she said tentatively into the receiver. "What is it Kennedy?"

"Do you see that chest on top of the ridge?" Alma exited the house, seeing Leon standing on the roof of another roughly half a dozen yards away. "It might have the other half of this. Can you check?"

She squinted a bit, seeing him holding what looked like a blue stone. "Sure. I was already up there but whatever."

Alma headed over to the ladder she had used earlier, climbing it swiftly. She reached a small platform, resting her hands on her hips. She was nimble, sure, but she didn't think she was tall enough to reach the top without a boost.

"Need a hand, Ngyuen?" Alma chewed the inside of her cheek, biting back a scathing response. Did he think she was incompetent or something? Some weak girl that needed a man's help? How dare he!

Exhaling sharply through her nose she cracked her knuckles, crouched down and launched herself upwards, kicking twice off the cliff side before grabbing hold of the platform overhead. When she was sure she had a good grip she hauled her body up in one fluid motion, climbing to her feet.

Alma glanced over towards her partner, flicking her bangs out of her face with a toss of her head. "I'm good. Thanks though."

She heard a soft snort over the radio, similar to a laugh if she didn't know any better. "I'll see you down at the door when you've got the other half then."

"Fine by me." Alma replied curtly, trying to hide the fact that her breathing was slightly labored. She hadn't scaled a wall like that since basic training and her shoulders were aching from the effort.

She retrieved the other half of the stone and headed back the way she had come. Leon was waiting patiently by the door, hand outstretched to receive the emblem. Alma tossed it his way, seeing him place it alongside the other piece. She quirked a brow, seeing a strange symbol etched in the center of the pieces before hearing what sounded like tumblers beginning to rotate.

The door opened a few moments later, just far enough to allow the agents to slip through before slamming shut behind them.

* * *

"Look out for the bear traps."

"I'm more worried about the trip wire myself," Leon replied, skirting his way around the tree as Alma hoisted herself fully out of the well. They were on a small hill that led to a large two-story house. Guns at the ready, Alma decided to take point, opening the door and revealing a staircase.

"Ugh, stairs are a tactical nightmare," she grumbled, wishing she had a shotgun at her disposal. She glanced over her shoulder, wondering if Leon would be sweet enough as to loan her his for the time being.

The sound of a shotgun racking, in her opinion, was one of the most unsettling and frightening sounds she'd ever heard when she started training at the police academy. It was a virtually unmistakable sound that had even the most hardened criminals coming out from cover during raids and turning themselves in so they didn't end up with more holes in them than Swiss cheese.

However, she didn't think the sound of a shotgun racking would scare these sorts of enemies away. Didn't stop her from wanting a boomstick regardless…

Luckily the ascent was made without incident and the agents found themselves in front of a locked door that had a weird blue ball set in the middle of it.

"Looks like it rotates. Guess it has to look like one of these symbols," Leon suggested, beginning to fuss with said-ball before the proper insignia came up and the door unlocked with a loud click.

The door then slid open, revealing a bedroom with a desk in one corner, a wardrobe in the opposite, and a bed with a journal lying on top of it.

Leon picked it up, looking it over while Alma examined the rest of the room. She came across some handgun ammo in a drawer as well as a fancy silver key in a jewelry box, resting on a plush red cushion. She pocketed it, just in case, before hearing Leon chuckle softly.

"Just great. Listen to this."

"Listening," she replied, giving him her undivided attention.

"As instructed by Lord Saddler, I have the agents in confinement alive. I do not fully understand what the lord's intentions are. I would however think he'd keep them separate, not confine them together as have been ordered. I do not believe Luis will trust a stranger but by chance they did cooperate the situation could get a bit more complicated. If for some reason an unknown third party is involved, I don't think they'd let a chance like this slip by. But maybe it's all Lord Saddler's ploy. Leaving us vulnerable so this third party will surface, if they even exist that is."

Alma exchanged a concerned look with Leon, nodding for him to continue reading.

"It is an unlikely possibility but if a prowler is already amongst us then our plans could be ruined. I guess the lord thinks it's worth the risk if we're able to stop whatever conspiracy is at work. At any rate it's the Lord's call, we will trust his judgment as always. Chief Bitores Mendez."

"Oh my god," Alma groaned for what must have been the twentieth time that day, rubbing her gloved hands over her face. "What the hell have we gotten ourselves into? And who's 'Lord Saddler'?"

"No idea, but I have a bad feeling we'll be finding out soon enough," Leon stated grimly, shutting the book with a sharp snap and tossed it back onto the bed. "Let's go. We have to get back to the village proper and gain access to that church."

"Roger, roger," Alma stated, giving him a half-assed salute before sidling past him and opening the bedroom door cautiously before stopping in the doorway.

"Why'd you stop-?" Leon asked, having run into her back accidentally. Alma held a finger to her lips, pointing towards the stairs at the end of the hall. Leon quirked a brow before hearing people speaking.

" _Hay un rumor de que hay un extranjero entre nostros_."

" _Nuestro jefe se cuidara de la rata_."

" _Su 'la Plaga' es much major que la nuestra_ ," the first male said with a laugh. Alma turned her head, lips brushing his jaw accidentally with the movement, not realizing he was still practically standing on top of her. She could feel his chest pressed against her back as he towered over her by a few inches.

Her brain decided it was a great time to let her know that their bodies seemed to fit perfectly together and she had a hard time fighting down a blush.

"There's at least two down there," she murmured, feeling him nod in agreement.

"Watch yourself," he warned her as she stepped into the hallway.

" _Tienes razon, es un hombre_ ," the second man replied.

"What are they saying?" he asked softly. "I can't make out all of it." Alma shrugged lightly.

"Ah, well my Spanish is pretty rusty but I caught something about foreigners, probably meaning us and then something about _las Plagas_? I think that means 'the plagues' or something similar. They also said that the boss would take care of the rats, probably meaning us again," she roughly translated.

"That's better than I got, I heard Plagas and rats," Leon said sheepishly as she grinned before stepping fully into the hallway, only to notice a large shadow looming over them from behind.

Next thing she knew she was airborne, crashing into a heap on the opposite side of the hall from Leon.

"What the fuck?" she growled, cradling her head in her hands and tasting blood in her mouth. She quickly rolled to her feet, reaching for an unfortunately empty holster, realizing in dismay that her gun was at the feet of what appeared to be the 'Big Cheese'.

"Mendez, I presume?" she called, turning his attention from Leon to her. He looked between the knife in her hand to her face, tilting his head to the side like an inquisitive child might with mismatched eyes.

"You two carry the same blood as us, it seems. Nevertheless, you both are outsiders," he began, voice low and gravelly. He dropped Leon unceremoniously to the ground, facing the two agents. "Just remember should you become unpleasant to our eyes, you'll both face severe consequences."

With that he whirled around, long coat swishing majestically behind him before he entered the room they had just left, door shutting with a harsh clang.

"Same blood?" Leon coughed, rubbing his abused throat. Alma jogged forward, grabbing her Picador from the ground.

"Let's go," she ordered, adopting a tactical shooting stance.

"Alma, wait-." Leon didn't finish the rest of his sentence before Alma abruptly kicked the door in-

-and ended up sailing over the bed into the wardrobe via brutal bitch slap. She reflexively squeezed the trigger, a wild shot connecting with a picture on the wall.

The world tilted wildly and she found it difficult to breathe for a few moments.

She heard Leon call her name, followed by the sounds of a struggle. Alma heaved herself up, fighting the urge to vomit with the sudden jerking of her head before hearing two gunshots ring out.

Mendez paused, turning his attention towards the window. Alma squinted through watery eyes, seeing what looked like a person in red nonchalantly hanging outside the window. Mendez removed his boot from Leon's chest and charged the window.

Alma heard the unmistakable 'whir' of a hook shot gun retracting as the Chief went soaring out said-window, missing the person by a few precious inches.

Both agents were silent for a few minutes, save for their ragged breathing. Once they were sure they weren't in immediate danger Leon rounded on her.

"What the hell, Nguyen!?"

"Tch, I'm fine, thank you for asking," she scoffed, collecting her gun from the floor and frowning when she saw a scratch in the metalwork of the barrel.

"You could've been killed," he snapped, using his height to his advantage and towering over her. Alma was quite pleased she didn't wither under his verbal onslaught, instead setting her jaw and rested her hands on her hips. She had endured worse dressing-downs during her time with SWAT and wasn't the slightest bit intimidated (okay, maybe she was a little bit intimidated but she wasn't going to let him know).

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" she was unable to stifle a wince when he swore at her.

"Obviously I was thinking I was gonna get away with it and not have to explain myself," she replied in a nonchalant tone of voice, wiping the blood from her lip before he grabbed her arm.

"I don't need you dying on me."

"It would look pretty bad on the damage report eh?"

"Damn it Alma," Leon very-nearly growled, yanking her closer and burying his face in the side of her neck. "You idiot."

She felt the heat rise in her cheeks when his arms came around her middle in a tight embrace. "Uh, L-Leon-?"

"Shut up," he muttered. "Let me be pissed off at you for a minute."

She swallowed tightly, unsure how to react to the immensely strange and abrupt show of affection from her partner. Alma drew back, brow furrowing in confusion when she noticed a weird reddish-gold tint to his eyes. However, it seemed as soon as she witnessed it the color was gone, fading back to sky-blue irises.

"Are you…okay…?" she asked cautiously, stepping out of his arms a few feet away.

"Y-yeah, uh-," he swallowed tightly, feeling his cheeks burn in embarrassment as he turned his head from her. "I-I honestly don't know where that came from. I'm sorry for being out of line."

"It-it's okay," she sheepishly replied, looking down at her tactical boots. "Uh, guess we should-go, or something?"

"S-sure, yeah. Wow, that was…"

"Yeah."

"Can we-?"

"Pretend that never happened? Sounds great," she reassured him, wondering if the freaky glowy eyes and odd behavior had anything to do with them 'carrying the same blood' as the villagers.

Did that mean they were infected with 'las plagas' or something?

Alma frowned, folding her arms over her chest as she followed Leon out of the bedroom. How could they have been infected though? Was it when-

"Shit," she muttered under her breath in realization. They must have been infected after their first encounter with Mendez, when they were unconscious for an undetermined period of time.

Alma rubbed a hand unconsciously over her neck, nervously licking her lips. Wasn't that just fan-fucking-tastic?

"Ngyuen, you okay?" she glanced up, gray eyes meeting concerned sky blue.

"Yeah. I'm…yeah," she trailed off, unshouldering her rifle and checking it over. She was sure she had an imprint or bruise of said-rifle in her back but it looked to be in working order for the most part.

The agents were spared from the suddenly awkward silence when Leon's communicator beeped.

She heard him breathe a soft sigh of what she assumed was relief, pulling it from his belt and flipping it open.

"Leon, I've been able to get some new info that might help you," Hunnigan stated in a voice that was all business.

"Fill us in."

"Apparently there's a religious cult group involved. They're called the Los Illuminados," she said.

"Los Illuminados? Psh, that's a mouthful. Anyway, we've just had an unexpected run-in with the Big Cheese of this village," Leon said.

"But you're okay, right?" Ignoring Alma's disbelieving snort in the background, Leon continued.

"Yeah, we're in one piece. He could've killed us but he let us live and he also mentioned something about us carrying the same blood as them," Leon said.

"'Carry the same blood'…Hm, interesting…," Hunnigan trailed off.

"Anyway, there are more important things than solving riddles right now."

"You're right, hurry and find that church Leon."

"Wilco," he replied curtly before the screen went dark. "You ready?"

"Who me? Oh, sure. I'm looking forward to this about as much as I look forward to getting diarrhea," Alma snorted sarcastically, eliciting an amused huff from her partner.

"C'mon Ngyuen, let's move out."

* * *

"You think this guy is that Saddler dude?" Alma called from the opposite end of the house, staring at a picture on the wall.

"Maybe. His face seems to be plastered everywhere," Leon replied, examining a picture of a lake. "Maybe this lake is around here somewhere."

"Well I'm sure they didn't get that imported from Italy," Alma retorted, coming up behind him. "Find anything useful?"

"An incendiary grenade and some shotgun shells in a cabinet," he shrugged.

"Better than nothing. I wish we were better equipped for this."

"Me too," he agreed, opening the back door slowly. "Shit."

"What is it?" Alma asked quietly, trying to peer past him.

"Two villagers that I can see, one of which has a chainsaw," he answered. "Think you can peg the unarmed one without hitting Leatherface?"

"Um, duh?" Alma replied arrogantly, raising her rifle and peering down the scope before realizing with dismay that the scope lens was cracked. "Shit."

"What is it?"

"Scope is busted. Must've happened during our encounter with the Big Cheese."

"Can't you, I don't know, 360 no-scope him or something?"

"What do you think this is, a video game?" Alma snorted in disbelief, giving him a sour look over her shoulder.

"Hmph, and you call yourself a sniper?" Leon retorted quietly. "All snipers I know can do it."

"Yeah, on Call of Duty maybe," she was unable to stifle a laugh, having realized he was teasing her. She removed the scope from the claw mount, leaving just the iron sights. "You're lucky I've got some good eyeballs."

"How well can you see?"

"20/10."

"Those are good eyeballs," he agreed.

"Yup," she replied, raising the rifle once more-

-and completely missed her mark.

The unarmed villager came running forward, the chainsaw wielder revved up said-weapon, and she could audibly hear Leon smack a hand to his forehead in disbelief.

"It's been a while since I've shot with iron sights," she snapped waspishly, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. "And there are three men, not two."

Rather than replying Leon took charge of the situation, making short work of their opponents with his shotgun.

"Why hasn't he dissolved like the rest?" Alma asked, toeing the dead chainsaw enemy cautiously.

"I don't know, maybe he's stronger or something?" Leon sighed, dragging a hand back through his hair. "Let's get going. We need to reach the church before sundown."

"Hard to believe it's only been a few hours since all this shit started," Alma said, falling into step alongside him down the path.

"Yeah. I just hope Ashley is okay."

"Yeah…"

* * *

"Hey, chuck me some ammo!" Alma called, emptying the last of her handgun rounds into the sickle-wielding man before her, spinning spryly on her toes and slamming a booted heel into her opponent's jaw. Alma paused long enough to kneel over him and buried her knife in his skull. He writhed around for a moment before melting into goop

"Kinda…busy…right now," she heard Leon grunt as he slammed his elbow into the Ganado who had him in a chokehold, sending the male sprawling to the ground before dodging the others around him.

"Stop swinging that thing around, it's dangerous," she scolded her opponent, ducking an axe heaved her way. Her body moved forward instinctively, spinning a cheap low kick to sweep his feet out from beneath him and knock him onto his back. As he started to stand, Alma wrapped her left forearm around the front of his neck, locking her right hand over her left wrist, pushing her chest forward and bending his back towards her. With a sharp, precise twist and pull, his neck snapped like kindling beneath her grip, body dissolving as he fell to the ground. Breathing heavily, Alma glanced upwards, seeing the shocked look on Leon's face.

"Wha-?"

"Struggle Snuggle Academy," she reminded him. "My dad was a former Navy SEAL before he got into wrestling."

"Gotcha. Looks like that was the last of them."

"Good, because Alma has no ammo," she sighed, resting a hand on her hip. "This is not going well." She avoided looking at the officer still burning in the village proper. "But I've gotta say, these guys can make some seriously good funeral pyres. Poor bastard has been on fire for at least eight or nine hours."

Leon glanced over his shoulder at her but refrained from commenting, seeing the downcast look in her eyes despite the half-hearted smirk on her face. She seemed to be the type that responded to stressful situations with black humor and he'd heard worse remarks during his training for the government.

"That must be the cult symbol we've been seeing everywhere," he nodded towards the church door, several long strides carrying him over to it. "Looks like we need a key."

"Here." He glanced up just in time to catch the silver key she had launched his way. "Took from Mendez's house."

"Why?"

"I like shiny things," she shrugged casually, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"Touché," Leon replied, unlocking the door as the pair headed inside.

* * *

"So let me get this straight. In this church there is a secret passage that leads under this church to another church," Alma said aloud, following Leon down a damp tunnel.

"Seems that way," he agreed, sloshing through a puddle. "Hold up."

"What is it-?" he nodded forward towards a man wearing a long ratty coat with a handkerchief over his mouth standing next to a pedestal with a blue flame glowing atop it.

"Hello strangers. Got something that might interest ya'."

"I somehow doubt that-," Alma trailed off when he opened his jacket, revealing pockets full of ammunition that they desperately needed. "Oh…well then."

"Got a collection of good things on sale, strangers."

"Who are you?" Leon asked cautiously while Alma strode forward and began perusing the 'wares' he had for sale.

"I'm just a simple merchant trying to get by," he said dismissively with a wave of his hand.

"Can I trade you some of these for some of those?" Alma asked, withdrawing a few small jewels from her cargo pocket. "I need some handgun ammo and rifle rounds."

"Where did you get those?" Leon asked in disbelief.

"We just had this conversation Leon, remember? I like shiny things."

Leon simply sighed in response, shaking his head.

"Sure thing stranger," the Merchant replied eagerly before tilting his head to the side. "What happened to your rifle?"

"Busted scope," she informed him, completing their transaction. "You wouldn't happen to have one I could trade you for, would you?"

"Not with me though I have a shop a little further down near the lake. I'm sure I have one there I'd be willing to part with."

"We'll see you there then," Alma answered.

"We will?" Leon asked with a raised brow, resting a hand on his hip.

"Yup. And don't be so sour, I got you some goodies too." She tossed two boxes of shotgun shells and two boxes of handgun ammo his way.

"Thanks," he replied dryly, stooping to pick up the boxes he had missed.

"We'll be seeing you around, Mr. Merchant."

"Count on it. Come back any time, heh-heh-heh."

* * *

The first thing the agents noticed when they exited the tunnel via ridiculously long ladder was how dark it seemed to have suddenly gotten. It was nearing five in the afternoon though the sky was overcast as though it was going to begin raining soon.

"Let's hurry before we get soaked," Alma suggested, making her way up the path.

"Sounds good," Leon agreed, following her with his newly reloaded shotgun at the ready.

"Looks like a graveyard, and the church is up on that hill," he said, gesturing with his head. She nodded in understanding before looking out past the gravestones."I see a man to that third crow's right, by that tree."

"On it," she said quietly as she took aim, getting an easy headshot off before hearing a woman cry out.

" _Ahi esta_!" Alma sighed in annoyance.

"Always more of them, can't catch a break can we?" Withdrawing her handgun from her holster, Alma aimed at the Ganado coming their way.

"Holy shi-!" she ducked, avoiding the sickle the woman had just thrown her way. "That's cheating!" She shot the second sickle tossed at her out of the air with a metallic ting as Leon brought her down a few moments later.

"C'mon, let's keep moving," Leon said, heading up the hill to the church. She could see the Illuminados symbol at the top of the bell tower as they passed through the large iron gates leading to said-church

"Get down!" Alma felt a heavy weight connect with her right side and she was flung haphazardly to the ground, dirt and rocks exploding around her as she fell.

"Move Ngyuen!" Leon barked, grabbing her up by the back of her belt and giving her a motivating push forward just as a stick of dynamite landed where she had been moments before.

Spinning on her heel Alma took aim at the dynamite thrower, getting a lucky shot off at the explosive in his hand, taking him out along with his buddy.

She breathed heavily, trying to collect herself while reloading her Picador with shaky hands. That had been too close for comfort. Glancing over her shoulder she spotted Leon looking as frazzled as she felt. He gave her a thumbs up followed by a thumbs down.

Alma turned her hand over, giving him a thumbs down with a tired smile. "I'm alright, just a bit shaken."

"You injured?"

"Just my pride," she answered, brushing twigs and leaves out of her hair.

He headed past her up the steps to the church. Alma heard him curse under his breath. "Damn it, it's locked." Unable to resist she spoke up once more.

"We're you actually expecting it to be unlocked?" she asked innocently as he gave her a dark look which made her cringe. "Sorry."

Leon turned his attention back to the door. "It looks like something could fit in this weird spiral indentation." He pulled his radio out and contacted their mission guide. "Hunnigan, it's Leon. The door's locked, we can't get in."

"Didn't they teach you how to pick locks at the Academy?" Hunnigan teased.

"Hn, there's some sort of indentation, like something might fit here," Leon said.

"Well there's no use standing around. You have to find some way to get inside." With that the screen went black.

"Well, we do have a few grenades," Alma said, folding her arms over her chest and thinking for a moment as Leon gave her a disbelieving look. "Grenades can double as keys when necessary."

"Did they teach you that in SWAT as well?" he asked. Alma simply shrugged, a wry smile gracing her lips. "Yeah, okay. Let's get moving."

* * *

"More of them," Leon said, aiming his handgun at the enemy standing on a narrow pathway of wooden planks. One shot to the head and she let out a cry, falling over the side as a splash echoed around them.

"Well done, let's get going," Alma said before they stepped onto the makeshift bridge. She was never fond of heights and looked cautiously at the water below them before starting forward across the wooden viaduct. Leon easily cleared the jump between the first platform and the second as Emma frowned.

"C'mon scaredy-cat," he called to her. "It's easy, stop thinking so much and just jump."

"Easy for you to say," she mumbled under her breath before taking a running leap between the two sides, landing uneasily on her feet.

"See, told you so," Leon commented before entering the small shack alongside the way. He picked up a folded leaflet. "Closure of the Church: Regarding the three fugitives, the apprehension of Luis is our top priority. The American agent and meddling woman a distant second-."

"Meddling? Beg your pardon?" Alma spat, grabbing the leaflet from him and began reading it aloud herself.

"What Luis stole from us is far more important than the girl. Unless we get it back the girl will become useless to us. We must get it back to execute our plan to the end. If it gets in the wrong hands the world would become a totally different place then what Lord Saddler has envisioned. Nevertheless, blah, blah, blah," Alma said as Leon gave her a sour look.

"I have locked the church door where the girl is being held because I'm a mean bastard," Leon snorted softly at her adlibbing. "Anyone who needs access to the church must get approval from Saddler. There is a key beyond the lake but it should be safe now that _Del Lago_ has been awakened by our Lord. No one will get across the lake alive. Plus, our same blood courses through the agents' veins. It'll be just a matter of time before they join us. Once they do, there will be nobody else left that will come looking for the girl," she trailed off.

" _Del Lago_ …? That means 'from the lake', right?"

"Sure," Alma shrugged, dropping the papers back onto the table. "We'll go with that. We've gotta haul ass, no more messing around."

"Right, because we've just been jaunting happily through the wilderness these past twelve hours," Leon snapped, eliciting a surprised wince from his partner.

"Jeez, I didn't mean it like that Leon. I'm just concerned about Ashley."

"I know. I'm just-this whole thing is going to hell in a hand basket."

"It already has," Alma said softly to his retreating back when he exited the shack, resting a hand over the side of her neck and clearing her throat. She grimaced at the taste of copper on her tongue, spitting off to the side and seeing a globule of blood land on the ground. She swallowed tightly, rubbing her thumb over her bottom lip as it came away wet with blood. "This doesn't bode well at all…"

* * *

I know I said we'd get to the Del Lago fight but this chapter is 5000+ words and just kept dragging on (longest chapter to date). Next chapter is in the works already as I had to find a good place to end this one. Hope you enjoyed, sorry for all the exposition and shit. Thanks for reading. [I couldn't find a good spot to put the Merchant in as I was debating not having him in here at all but it wouldn't be RE4 without him]. Also, time skips and skipped fights since there's so many enemy encounters and I get tired of writing fight scenes after awhile. Pardon my laziness.

Translations:

 _Hay un rumor de que hay un extranjero entre nostros:_ There's a rumor that there are foreigners among us

 _ _Nuestro jefe se cuidara de la rata:__ Our boss will take care of the rats

 _Su 'la Plaga' es much major que la nuestra:_ His 'las plagas' is much better than ours

 _ _Tienes razon, es un hombre:__ You're right, he's a man.


	7. Seven

A/N: Question. Am I moving too fast with this story? I don't mean 'romance-wise' since romance won't be playing a bigger part until later on. I mean with the plot and whatnot. Am I skipping things people want to read? What particular things do you guys want included? Does this make sense at all? (I've been up all night with a sick pupper and I'm rather tired). Anyways, major thanks to those that have reviewed, you guys are super duper swish. Told you it wouldn't take too long to get this one out.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil, CAPCOM does. I only own Alma, savvy? Wonderful.

* * *

A few minutes later they stepped through a small door at the end of the pathway, the sound of crows cawing reaching their ears.

Starting around the wall, they spotted a large group of birds sitting in front of three small shacks. Alma glanced upwards, seeing what looked like gates hanging above both entrances to the small area. Her eyes narrowed slightly, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She jumped in surprise when the crows suddenly took flight, zipping by the pair as they ducked, avoiding the large flock which began circling the small area.

"God damn," she murmured, brushing a stray black feather off her shoulder and one out of her hair, shuddering in disgust. "Never did like birds, Alfred Hitchcock only served to exacerbate that dislike." Alma heard Leon chuckle quietly at that before pausing when a low growl rumbled through the area.

"What the hell was that?"

Alma followed his gaze, seeing it focused on what looked to be a large set of doors across from them. She took a moment to look around; it appeared to be some sort of mining area, large boulders strewn about inside a few wooden carts.

"Sounds like the growls are coming from behind here," Leon said. Alma turned her head to see him standing before the gate. "It's closed pretty tightly though."

"Let's hope it stays that way then," the raven haired agent replied, tucking her pistol back into its holster before making a few rounds of the area. Alma was rewarded for her efforts when she came across a small stockpile of pesetas as well as a box of handgun rounds. Weighing them slightly in her palm, she spoke up.

"You know what I don't understand?" she called over to her partner who had finished his own little recon and was heading over her way.

"What's that?" Leon questioned. Alma stood from her crouch, eyeing the small red box in her hand.

"You'd think…they have all this ammo lying around as well as grenades but they don't utilize any firearms. I don't get that," she commented; "They use dynamite and farming tools, it's odd."

"Shouldn't we be grateful that they don't use guns? That's the last thing we need, not-zombies with access to high-powered firearms," Leon replied, shuddering lightly at the mere suggestion of their enemies having more advanced weapons. She frowned, handing off the bullets to her partner.

"You're right, we should get going," she said before following behind him through another set of large doors. "You know what I can appreciate about this village?"

"I can only imagine."

Alma rolled her eyes at Leon's cheek before continuing. "It's so linear. It's like there's no possible way we could get lost."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Leon asked, pausing to open a set of barrels with his knife and unfortunately came up empty.

"I guess. It's just strange," she shrugged, resting a hand on her hip as she twisted a strand of hair around her index finger.

"Heads up," she heard her partner say.

"What do you mean-?" she trailed off, following his gaze to where a large boulder was sitting on the edge of the cliff above him. "Oh, not this again. What now?"

"Good question," the honey-haired agent sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Just because I don't see anyone up there doesn't mean there isn't."

"I don't fancy being pancaked today."

"That makes two of us. You see anyone?"

"Not a thing. And I'm guessing this is the only way down to the lake." Leon glanced her way.

"You okay to run in those?" he asked, nodding towards her boots.

"What, these? Sweetie, I can run in four inch heels. This is child's play," she laughed, brushing her bangs from her eyes.

Leon frowned a bit, the image of a spunky Lady in Red racing around the City in stilettos flashing in his mind.

"-old boots from SWAT. I could sleep in these babies-," he barely caught the last part of what she had said, willing himself to focus on the task at hand. It was crazy how similar the two women were to one another, from their sassiness down to their amazing marksmanship and-

"-Leon? Earth to Leon, we gonna do this or what?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's go," Alma quirked a brow as he tucked his gun into his holster, not meeting her eyes. "Ready?"

She nodded stiffly, cracking her knuckles before the pair took off down the hill.

The ground vibrated beneath their feet as the boulder came crashing down behind them. Not bothering to look back the agents doubled their efforts. Alma could see water ahead of them and noticed a little alcove to the side they could dive into for cover-

"Gotcha-," she grunted in surprise when Leon body checked her into said-alcove seconds before the rock came rolling past, shattering into gravelly bits against the cliff face a little further down.

"Sweet merciful monkey crap," Alma gasped, brushing twigs and dust from her clothes and hair. "You okay?"

"Yeah, you?" she nodded breathlessly, accepting his outstretched hand to help her up. "That was close."

"You're telling me," she laughed nervously. "I almost got one of my toes run over there."

"What a travesty that would have been," Leon stated, checking his weapons.

"Indeed," she agreed, performing her own equipment check.

"Lake is that way," he nodded towards the wetland area where several walkways were extended above the water. Alma saw wire strung between a few posts, connected to land mines.

"How do you know?" she asked when she turned her attention back to him.

"Sign post," he nodded towards a post that said 'Church (left), Lake (right)'.

"Right then," she cleared her throat, cheeks dusting pink in embarrassment. She strode forward, stooping to pick up a rock before nailing the first Ganado she spotted in the head with it.

He let out a surprised yelp, cradling his head before glaring at them. Leon raised his gun but Alma grasped his forearm.

"Save your bullets," she stated, resting a hand on her hip when their enemy ran into one of the wires, detonating the land mines.

"Don't get cocky, there's more coming," Leon warned her, spinning around when he heard yells from behind them.

"Don't worry. I've got a grenade," Alma replied, pulling one from her belt. "Frag out," she warned him, pulling the pin and launching it towards the group of four or five Ganado. The explosion rocked the ground beneath them for a moment. Through the dust Alma could see four bodies climbing to their feet.

"That didn't work Ngyuen," he stated, taking shots at their enemies legs to bring them to the ground.

"That's okay. I have a first aid spray to back up any bad decisions we might make, as well as another grenade. Frag out." She was much more successful with her second grenade, blasting the men to kingdom come.

"That was risky."

"Risk versus reward, it got the job done," she waved her hand dismissively.

Leon pursed his lips, annoyed at how flippant she was being about the entire operation. She had done nothing aside from make stupid jokes the entire time and nearly get them killed.

Twice, mind you.

He rubbed a hand over his forehead, dragging it down the side of his face. This was why he preferred working solo as opposed to with a partner. He could move at whatever speed he was comfortable with and not have to worry about someone slowing him down.

Leon inhaled a deep breath, exhaling for a few seconds. He was being irrational. Alma was a brilliant agent and highly skilled. There was a reason why she had been appointed Ashley Graham's bodyguard. He chalked up his feelings to being stress related and told himself as soon as they got the damn key for the church they would take a break.

They swiftly made their way through the wetlands, dodging enemies as well as the occasional snake, coming to another set of double doors carved into the rock.

"What the hell is with these Spaniards and their doors?" Alma muttered tiredly, following him through them and seeing the path diverge in two directions.

"Left or right?" Leon asked. Alma reached into her pocket, fussing around for a moment before withdrawing a peseta, tossing it in the air as it landed in her palm. "Left."

"Fair enough," Leon replied, heading up the small hill which led to an area overlooking the lake. "What is that?"

"What's what?" Alma asked, seeing him crouch behind a log and withdraw his binoculars. She squinted, seeing a small boat on the water. "What's going on?"

"It's that other cop that was with us," Leon said. "They-oh shit-."

"What? They what?" Alma demanded, wishing her rifle scope was functional.

"They threw him overboard," Leon finished quietly. Alma frowned, looking out onto the water as the boat began driving away, seeing the outline of a body floating.

"Poor bastard," she muttered before the water began bubbling around him. "What the hell-?"

A large creature suddenly lunged out of the water, gobbling up the officer before vanishing below the surface as quickly as it had appeared.

Alma held a hand to her mouth, eyes wide with fear.

"Well then. I suppose that's Del Lago," Leon said uncomfortably, swallowing past the lump in his throat.

"I-I guess," she stammered, twisting her fingers nervously in the hem of her shirt. "Is there some other way to get across?"

"Probably not."

"Great," she squeaked out, nervously wetting her lips.

"You scared?"

"Putting it mildly," Alma replied, following Leon down the hill towards a small boathouse where a tiny fishing boat was moored to the dock. She took some comfort in seeing a half dozen harpoons in the boat but it didn't soothe her worries entirely.

She accepted Leon's help into the boat, sitting unsteadily on the bench before him as he took up the helm.

"You okay?"

"Peachy."

"You a good swimmer?"

"Was part of the department's dive team before I joined SWAT. I'm not afraid of water," Alma trailed off once Leon got the boat started, staring down into the dark murky depths. "I'm just afraid of what's in it..."

* * *

It was an uneventful ride until they reached their halfway point, marked by two large piles of logs and debris. Alma was actually beginning to relax and enjoy feeling the cool spray on her face before being abruptly reminded that there was a giant Plagas-infested sea monster in the lake.

The water became choppy, bubbles starting to come to the surface around the boat as a large shadow pass beneath them. She glanced wide-eyed over her shoulder at Leon, barely having enough time to grab for the sides of the boat to steady herself when the creature leapt out of the water alongside them.

The waves generated by its arrival sent them airborne for a moment. Alma fell backwards into Leon for a moment, feet lashing out and knocking the anchor overboard on accident. Apparently Del Lago had been swimming by at that precise moment, the anchor hooking into its tail as it dragged them along behind it.

"Cut the rope!" Leon hollered in her ear.

"I know!" she practically shrieked back and he pushed her forward off his lap. She fumbled with her knife holster, snapping the button open and yanking the blade free. Alma began sawing at the rope like a mad woman while Leon navigated around the debris, throwing a harpoon at the salamander-like monster every now and then.

"I got it!" she gasped after a few heart-pounding moments, snapping it in half and collapsing on the bottom of their dinghy. "Go, go, go!"

Leon wasted no time in heading towards the opposite dock as fast as possible. They must have been no more than ten feet away when the beast rammed the bottom of their boat and sent Alma ass over head into the frigid water.

"Alma!" Leon yelled, keeping a tight grip on a harpoon as well as the rudder. Several long, terrifying moments passed before she surfaced, gasping for air.

Del Lago suddenly appeared between the boat and his partner, the wave generated by its arrival enough to carry Alma towards the dock out of harm's way.

"Fuh-!" she gasped, going under once more and smacking her head on a wooden beam. Stars winked in front of her eyes and she clenched them shut, trying to reorient herself in the water. Once she got her bearings she came up once more and turned her head, seeing Del Lago sinking in the water with several harpoons sticking out of it while Leon nonchalantly coasted in as though he killed giant lake monsters on a daily basis.

"Grab my hand!" he gasped, reaching for her and hauling her up onto the dock shakily. "You okay!?"

Alma coughed weakly, looking up at her partner blearily. "Peachy," she managed to say hoarsely, resting on her knees as she hugged herself around the middle. A strangled sound that was somewhere between a laugh and an uncomfortable sob escaped her lips as she pressed the heels of hands to her eyes, trying her best not to cry.

"You're okay, you're okay," he kept saying over and over, grasping her shoulders before cradling her head in his hands. "I've got you. You're okay."

She simply nodded, allowing him to pull her to her feet after a few minutes before doubling over in pain. "Oh fuck-!"

"What is it?" he asked worriedly.

"My chest-," she gasped, vision suddenly going blurry. "I can't breathe-."

"Your chest-?" As soon as the words left Leon's lips he doubled over as well, overtaken by a coughing fit. Alma saw blood speckle his hands, seeing them tremble weakly. Wheezing harshly Alma slung his arm over her shoulder, dragging him along with her to a small house that sat a ways from the lake.

"C'mon," she gasped. "I can't carry you. You're too heavy."

"S-sorry," he managed to stammer, giving her a weak smile and forcing his feet to move with hers.

They barely made it through the threshold before Leon collapsed, dragging Alma down with him with a pained grunt.

Stars whirled in myriads of colors before her eyes and she felt blood drip from her nose. It felt as though someone had driven a railroad spike into her chest and was continuing to hammer it home.

Alma laid her cheek on the dirty, cold ground, unable to keep her eyes open any longer and quickly succumbed to blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

She awoke with a start.

Alma launched her body upright, wildly disoriented. She grunted as the sudden movement sent pain through her torso though as quickly as it had come it was gone. Wetting her lips she grimaced when she tasted copper on them and rolled onto all fours, resting her forehead on the cool floor.

She forced herself to slow her breathing, gathering her bearings after a few moments.

 _Lake._

 _Lake monster._

 _Almost drowned._

 _Blood._

 _Leon…?_

 _Leon!_

Her head swung to the side, seeing the aforementioned male lying beside her on the floor. She crawled over to him, feeling for his pulse and was pleased to find it beating strong against her fingers and he was breathing evenly. Alma swept her hands back through her dark locks, still damp from her earlier 'swim'.

The sun had set and Alma figured they had been unconscious most of the evening. It was getting chilly in the small cabin. She decided she would wait until Leon regained consciousness instead of trying to wake him, he looked so exhausted; there were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was a paler than hers.

A sudden growling noise startled her as Alma jolted upwards slightly, resting her hand over her abdomen with a sheepish giggle. She went to stand slowly, looking around the small cottage; a fireplace was against the far wall as was a small bed stained with what looked like blood. A table was present as well as a large black kettle.

The wheels began turning in her mind as she continued looking around, venturing outside into the rain. She was rewarded for her efforts when she spotted a small lean-to against the back of the house with dry wood piled up beneath it. She gathered a few logs, reentering the cottage and kept a careful watch on Leon to make sure he hadn't ended up dying while she was gone.

After gathering some old newspapers she could use as kindling Alma made sure the fireplace was cleaned of ashes before withdrawing a lighter from her ammo belt and got a warm blaze going.

"Oh hallelujah," she murmured, rubbing her hands together and enjoying the little bit of heat provided.

Once she was sufficiently warm enough she began taking stock of their weaponry. She carefully pulled the shotgun from Leon's back as well as his handgun, checking them for irregularities. When she was satisfied that there wasn't any damage to them Alma repeated the process with her own gear.

Once she had finished she grabbed the kettle, cutting board, and a few plates. Heading out to the lake she cleaned the utensils and kettle, filling it with water which she could boil for drinking. Dehydration and hunger had won out over fear of imminent disease and death as her eyes lingered on the fish gleefully swimming about. It had been a few years since she had gone fishing but hey, she did have a couple harpoons to spare…

* * *

Leon awoke with a jolt, eyes darting around in fear. He clutched his chest tightly, willing his breathing to slow as he looked at his arms, running his hands over his face. The agent stood slowly, looking around the small cabin they had taken refuge in. He took notice that his weapons were missing and spotted them lying on the table along with his partner's rifle.

Speaking of which…

The door suddenly opened and the aforementioned female entered with a cutting board in hand.

"Oh, you're up. Are you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned though he simply nodded almost robotically. He then noticed the small frying pan over the fire burning low in the hearth.

"There's some water in that kettle. I've already drank some and haven't died just yet so it should be alright. Hope you like fish," she said as the sound of sizzling meat filled the air. "Just got done scaling it outside so…yeah."

"So long as it isn't sushi," Leon replied, voice sounding unusually hoarse as he cleared his throat before taking a drink out of the teapot. It was still lukewarm as he assumed she had just finished boiling it.

' _Smart girl_ ,' he thought to himself, watching her going about making dinner.

"Thanks Ngyuen," he found himself saying. She glanced back over her shoulder at him though his breath seized in his chest at the way the fire cast an eerie shadow over her face. Her eyes gleamed an unnerving shade of yellowish-orange for a brief moment before vanishing back to gray.

"No problem," she grinned, turning her attention back to the pan. He was starting to be grateful he had been teamed up with her, even if she was a smart aleck at times. Her cheeky and occasionally humorous comments seemed to help lighten the tense atmosphere that surrounded them (not like he'd ever tell her that, though).

"Oh, by the way there's a note to your left. It wasn't signed and I found it earlier when I woke up. Somebody must've put in there when we were both out cold which is an unsettling thought in and of itself." Leon followed her gaze, seeing the paper she had mentioned.

"Item behind the falls, el Gigante, and about what's going on in your bodies…," he trailed off, looking up at his partner. "Interesting." A sudden beep cut off what he was about to say next. Leon fumbled for his radio, flipping it on and gazing at the screen.

"Leon, it's been six hours since our last transmission. I was starting to get worried," Hunnigan's voice filled the small room, sounding decidedly worried indeed.

"Don't you mean lonely? Anyways, I started feeling dizzy and I guess I must've lost consciousness," Leon told her. Alma wiped her hands on one of the only spare towels she had found that was clean, standing from her crouch and walking over to the table.

"Lost consciousness? Hm, maybe that has some connection with what the village chief was talking about," Leon shared a look with Alma who simply shrugged.

"Maybe. But we're both alright now. We're going to finish the mission," Leon said in affirmation.

"Hey Ingrid," Alma waved over Leon's shoulder, seeing the brunette smile slightly.

"Hello Agent Ngyuen, how are you holding up?" she asked. Alma shrugged offhandedly in response. "Right. Let me know if there's anything else you find out and I'll be looking for some more information on my end as well."

"Roger," Leon said, ending the transmission and tucking his radio back into his belt. "Smells good," he commented while Alma grabbed the two plates on the table and doled out their portions.

"Couldn't find any utensils, not one's I would use anyway. Cheers," she said with a grin as they sat down on the floor before the fire, eagerly devouring the first meal they'd had all day.

Several minutes past in silence before Leon broke it. "Alma…how are you really?" She paused, taking a drink from the teakettle.

"Not as bad as I could be I guess, all things considered. It's just…," she trailed off, rubbing her hand over her sternum. "My chest hurts. It's not a constant pain, it comes and goes but it's just noticeable enough to be annoying. I'm thinking this 'same blood' shit means that we were infected with Las Plagas after our initial encounter with the Chief."

"You think so too?"

"Mmhm," she licked her lips, giving him a little smile. "Want some dessert?"

"You're kidding," Leon scoffed in disbelief.

"Not kidding," she said, standing up and grabbing something sitting on the counter. "Well, it isn't really dessert but it is sweet and still edible." She tossed him a can of mandarin oranges which was slightly cool to the touch.

"Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are?" Leon asked, popping the pull-tab open and taking a tiny drink of the sweet syrup.

"Not as of recently, I was rather surprised to have found them myself. I don't think the villagers eat need to eat anymore."

"I think you're right. There was a lot of rotting food in most of the houses in the village," Leon agreed, popping an orange slice into his mouth and relishing the taste.

"To a quick and easy rescue," Alma said, raising her can as though it were a toast. Leon smirked slightly before humoring her, clinking the cans together.

"Is our gear alright?" he asked, eyeing his shotgun.

"Yeah. Everything should be dried out by now. You ready?"

"Oh yeah. Looking forward to this about as much as I look forward to getting diarrhea," Leon said humorlessly.

"That's my line, sweet pea," she teased him, kicking dirt over the fire before they gathered their guns and headed out into the night.

* * *

"Do you think this Saddler douche has people hired to go around lighting torches?" Alma asked aloud, lacing her fingers behind her head as they walked towards the waterfall.

"I don't know."

"I mean, really. Their village is in the middle of being invaded by us and yet they still find time to light torches to guide us. It's weird. Also, how are they always two steps ahead of us? We only got here like a day ago. Is that really enough time to set all this in motion?"

"I don't know Alma," Leon sighed exasperatedly, shouldering a door open with her help.

It was eerily silent for a moment before two Ganado seemingly melted out of the shadows, eyes glowing orange. Alma smirked, raising her Picador before the villager in front doubled over, body racked with convulsions.

"What-?"

His head twisted several ways in a manner reminiscent of the god damn Exorcist before a pulsating mass of flesh and a red whip-like tentacle exploded from his neck.

"Ohh…my…," she trailed off, tucking her handgun away and pulling out her rifle for this one. It made weird, squishy noises as it swung about, the scythe-like end of the tentacle lashing forward in an attempt to separate her head from her shoulders. One rifle round put him down for good, body disintegrating like all the rest while Leon gave his friend a buckshot shampoo.

"Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder," she muttered, allowing Leon to take point.

"You good?"

"Yup. Well, not really but I can pretend," Alma smirked. "Let's hurry up and find that damn key so we can get out of here."

"I second that decision."

* * *

"No Leon."

"C'mon Alma. It's the only way down," Leon said, holding the rope her way.

"I haven't rappelled down a wall since basic training," she stated hotly, folding her arms over her chest. "I do not trust that ratty old thing to hold my weight."

"Fine, then I'll go first," Leon replied with a shrug, getting ready to do so.

"But what if you die?"

"Then you'll have to carry on without me," he said dramatically, clutching her hand in his. Alma huffed in annoyance, turning her head when she felt her cheeks begin to redden.

"Don't be a douche Kennedy, it's unattractive," she sniffed.

"Back to last names, huh? Can't say I like the change," Leon said with a halfhearted smile.

"What-?" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Leon dropped over the side of the cliff, rappelling down the side with ease. "Oh, you turd burger," she grumbled, resting a hand over her heart.

When she was sure he'd reached the bottom without incident Alma got ready to descend as well.

She managed to reach the bottom while only suffering minor rope burn and a bruised tuchus from her less-than-graceful landing.

"Good looking out," she said aloud to the air around, glaring at Leon's retreating back as he utilized some large crates as a makeshift bridge to cross the river.

"I spotted a path behind the waterfall. I think there's a lever that can divert the water so we can pass," Leon yelled over to her.

"Sounds fantastic," she muttered, rubbing her sore hip before carefully crossing the crates. Leon reached the platform, giving the lever a hard pull as she heard gears begin to grind against one another. They watched in amazement when the complicated system of wooden aqueducts began moving, disrupting the flow of the river. A few moments later the waterfall stopped flowing.

"Pretty advanced for these people," Alma commented, hearing Leon grunt softly when he landed behind her.

"I'm sure they built it before they were infected," he reminded her, eliciting a frown from the dark haired agent. "Let's go." She followed him into the damp tunnel, ignoring the fact that it seemed to get narrower the further they went.

"Would you look at that? Look familiar?" Leon nodded towards a strange round insignia hanging from chains on a rock wall.

"Sure does," Alma agreed, watching him take the 'key' down and tuck it safely into one of his cargo pockets before he radioed Hunnigan.

"Hey Hunnigan. Found an object with the cult's symbol on it. Spiral shape, looks like it will fit the door of the church."

"Wonderful Leon. Head back to the church. Ashley's safety is our immediate priority."

"10-4." The screen went dark moments before the 'rock wall' slid up, revealing another passage to the Americans.

"This place is trippy."

"No kidding," Leon agreed. "But we're one step away from saving Ashley."

"Yeah, one step being through whatever the hell an 'el Gigante' is," Alma reminded him. "And I don't need to know Spanish to be able to translate that."

"Let's hurry up," he settled on saying, leading her through a set of doors to a small dock where a boat was tied up. "Hopefully this will lead us back to the village."

"Yeah, hopefully." Alma eyed the small vessel uncomfortably but set her fear aside and entered it.

It took them all of five minutes to reach another dock and Alma smiled upon spying a familiar blue flame at the boathouse.

"I hope that means what I think it means," she laughed, feeling much more at ease with her feet on the ground.

"Hello strangers," the 'merchant', for lack of a better word, greeted them.

"Holy shit man, have you covered wars?" Alma asked in disbelief, looking at the array of weaponry hanging on racks.

"I used to be in higher demand before all this-," he made a motion with his hand. "-ah, stuff began."

"I see. You got a scope I can buy?" Alma asked, spotting one on the wall. "Excellent."

While Alma began rifling through her pockets for things to trade him Leon took notice of a rocket launcher behind the counter.

"How did you get all this?" Leon asked while Alma laid out the goodies she had gathered on the counter.

"Not legally," the Merchant replied calmly, eliciting a raised brow from the honey-haired agent though Leon knew better than to continue asking questions.

"Is this enough?" Alma stated, shoving a small pile of gems and pesetas his way.

"Fair trade," he agreed with a chuckle, handing her the scope. "With all that you can get a shotgun as well since you seem to be lacking one."

"You're a peach," she beamed. "Can I get that tactical shotty? Could use something for crowd control."

"Of course you can," he sounded like he was grinning beneath his kerchief. Alma gleefully accepted her new toy once she had the scope fastened on her rifle.

"Sweet! Well, hopefully we'll see you again."

"I'm sure you will," the Merchant stated. "Come back any time."

As the pair made their way towards a ladder Alma glanced over her shoulder before looking towards Leon. "You know, we could just kill him and take all his goodies."

"That would make us very bad people," Leon said slowly as though he were talking to a child, utterly bewildered that she would even suggest such a thing.

"I'm just throwing it out there," she stated, holding her hands up before her defensively.

"That's a terrible idea."

"Says you," she sniffed, climbing up the ladder after him and out towards the mining area they had been in earlier that day.

* * *

As soon as they entered the mining area all hell broke loose (though would you honestly expect anything different?).

"This does not bode well," Alma gasped as the gate behind them swung shut just as soon as they entered the area.

"You think?" Leon muttered, watching the gates swing down opposite them and locking them in. They watched with bated breath as the huge set of doors open and two groups of Ganado came pouring out of them, holding onto ropes.

" _R_ _á_ _pido, r_ _á_ _pido!"_

" _Usa los músculos_!"

They pulled on the ropes, trying to get something to come out of the doors. An angry growl tore through the air, eliciting surprised winces from both agents. The ropes were abruptly yanked from the villagers who were staring in surprise and fear at whatever was about to come out of the cavern.

" _Merde,_ " one Ganado stammered.

"No kidding," Alma whispered as the doors were suddenly flung wide open and there before them stood a twelve foot tall, for lack of a better word, giant. "El Gigante, I presume?"

"Where did they get a giant?" Leon asked aloud, watching El Gigante rip the men in half and throw them into the sides of the cliff. One unfortunate bastard was crushed beneath the giant's foot, another punted into a mining cart.

"And of course the big scary guy isn't on our team," Alma laughed nervously, putting some distance between her and the beast.

Once he had finished he rounded on the agents. Leon evaded a grab from the giant with a nimble backflip, eliciting an angry roar from their opponent.

"At least his shorts are still on though. Speaking of which, where do you get 'Gigante-sized' shorts?" Alma asked.

"Casual Male XL?" Leon suggested, dodging another swipe from the giant and rolling to his feet clumsily. "Less talking, more shooting."

"Sure thing sweet pea," she replied, leveling her new shotgun at the giant with a smirk. "This…is my boomstick."

* * *

And 5500+ words again. And yes, Leon will be getting some new gear shortly. Alma can't have all the fun. Gigante battle next time. Hope I did okay with the Del Lago scene. Also, I don't know how tall El Gigante is so I went with twelve feet…? Seemed like a good number xD. Thanks for reading. I've been replaying RE4 the past few days and I'm upset with how shitty I've gotten at it xD. Cheers. [And yes, Alma likes breaking the 4th wall as well].

PS: Is this chapter moving too fast? Do you want more fights or nah? Like I said, I don't like constantly writing generic fight scenes (love boss fights though). Are there too many breaks in the story?

Translations:

Rápido: quick, quickly

Merde: shit

Usa los músculos: use your muscles


End file.
